A Bird, Speed, and Water
by wolfeclipse25
Summary: Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad were one of the first sidekicks. But what if they weren't? What is they all had a secret past that made them hate the Justice League? Alternate Universe SPOILERS! Based on Season 1
1. Prologue

**April 29, 2012**

**A/N: I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HATE A/Ns BUT PLEASE AT LEAST READ THIS ONE.**

** Okay, I'll just warn you guys now. In my eyes, my story plot is intriguing and I love it, but unfortunately I'm a really bad writer. So if any of you want to take a part of my story and put it in one of yours, go for it. All I ask is for you to tell me via review and say somewhere in your story that a part of this was mine, wolfeclipse25's idea. **

** And now, without further ado, "A Bird, Speed, and Water" will begin.**

THIRD POV

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**(A/N The words in Italics will symbolize what the people in the surveillance video are saying.)**

Batman summoned Flash, Green Arrow, and Aquaman. "You'd better take a look at this." He said. They were in the surveillance room where several screens lied on the wall. He pressed a button unfreezing the center screen. It showed the Justice League's room in the Hall of Justice, Washington DC.

"Umm, what are we looking at exactly?" Flash asked as the room remained untouched and empty. A second later the screen turned black.

"That," Batman said.

Nothing was heard as the JL members waited in anticipation. Then they heard the sound of metal and faint feet. _"Why exactly are we doing this?" _The voice belonged to a boy, probably a teenager's.

_"We are doing this because we must watch over the Justice League's 'sidekicks.'" _That voice was also male but was deeper and held more of a formal tone to it. The JL members raised their eyebrows at that comment. They could hear the faint sarcastic tone as the person said 'sidekicks.'

"What does he mean 'watch over the Justice-"Green Arrow started, but Batman glared at him for silence.

_"Yeah, whatever," the lighter toned voice continued_, _"I can understand that, but what I don't understand that, but what I don't understand are the codenames. We couldn't do something like Bob, or Raymond, or Super-Lightning-Guy. No-o-o-o-o, we have to do _their _names." _As soon as he said that there was a smacking sound like someone had biffed him. _"Um, ow! Dude that hurt!" _

_ "Just live with it, Flash," the deeper voice said. _Everyone's eyes widened and stared at the present Flash.

"It isn't me!" he protested, "I was with you guys beating Wotan's butt!"

_There was a sigh. "I know, Aquaman, but don't deny you don't like it either!" _Suddenly the computer voice said "Access Denied." The league hadn't noticed it before, but there was a faint typing sound in the background. A moment later the voice said "Access Granted."

_"Wooohooo! Good going, Bats! I knew you could do it!" the lighter voice exclaimed like he'd just won the lottery. _Aquaman's mind was running: there were two boys one taking his name temporarily and a third person whose gender is unknown.

There was silence, probably because the people were reading the JL data files. A moment later the lighter toned voice spoke. _"So, we're heading to Cadmus, right?" _Then the screen turned back to normal.

The heroes were silent, thinking about what they'd just witnessed. "I found this after we'd defeated Wotan and found Artemis and Miss Martian missing from the Hall of Justice." Batman explained, "From what I gather, the person who'd hacked the video purposely left the sound on, knowing I'd find it, but sight off to remain anonymous."

"But what does this mean?" Aquaman asked. "Why are they using our names? And using them with such reluctance?"

"And what do they mean by watching our sidekicks? The only ones were Miss Martian, Artemis, and Speedy." Green Arrow went back to his previous question.

"It means," Batman answered, "we have a new maybe foe that hates us."

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**A/N: Short, but I'll try to make the other pages longer. It always bothers me with short pages because then they're not exactly chapters.**

**Feedback? I'll take anything, even flames.**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	2. Independence Day Part 1

**A/N: May 7, 2012**

**I think I'll just this once thank some authors for favoriting, alerting, and reviewing:**

_**Browniesarethebest**_

_** Ninja Daughter of Hermes**_

_** Witch08**_

_** houndour of Classic**_

_** NightRain-WolfsRain**_

_** Sassbrat**_

_** Serenity Waldorf**_

_** Loco-motive (not an official FF member to my knowledge)**_

_** Flying Jay**_

_** Dextra2**_

**Thanks a lot guys! I'm really pleased with the amount of visitors/hits to this story! (does anyone know the difference between hits and visitors?)**

* * *

WHISPER 

My name is Whisper. Weird name, but if you know me personally it'll make sense. Don't worry, I wasn't actually born and named 'Whisper' by my parents. I shed that life like a skin and started new with Whisper like the rest of my companions. Those companions are Robin and Tempest. We're all really different, but love each other like brothers. Ugh, I'm sounding really sappy, not like me at all. I swear Robin would probably sent me to a mental institution if I screamed "Rob, I truly love you bro." in a sobby voice like my dog had been killed.

The funny thing is I'd never even had a dog before. Hmm, I should ask Tempest about that…

Anyway, we actually share a lot in common. One thing is we don't like the Justice League. We don't _hate _them (Actually Tempest and I hate a specific member but that's another story to tell. Don't know about Rob though.) we just don't like them. It's hard to explain.

Wait, I just thought of a reason to not like them. You see how would you like it if you worked really hard to gain respect and just when you think that you've earned it, it's snatched away. The three of us haven't personally experienced something like that specifically, but we've all had our share of mental pain.

Great, now I'm getting off topic slightly. The point is that the Justice League has 'sidekicks.' One is Speedy. He's with Green Arrow, and the first 'sidekick.' The other is a less known and newer. Her name is Miss Martian, and as the name suggests she's a Martian. Her mentor is Martian Manhunter. The last one is the newest, like only a couple months new. She's Artemis and also with Green Arrow. Technically, of today, there are only two sidekicks because Speedy had this giant speech about their rights and left.

Good for you, Speedy.

Today is July 4th. Since there was this grand gathering at the Hall of Justice we decided to break in afterwards. Rob's our master hacker so getting in the JL's computer should be a piece of cake. He also got this idea of taunting the JL by hacking the security cameras so they don't show us, but leave the sound.

In the files we found this giant file about Cadmus this research facility on DNA or something. Never really cared for them, I was too busy trying to survive. Rob had also heard Miss Martian and Artemis planning to head over because they'd seen this report thing on a fire at a Cadmus lab and been told from Green Arrow.

I think Green Arrow sometimes talks too much for his own good. He told Speedy about the true JL HQ that was in space. That kinda triggered all his feelings to make him leave.

About that Cadmus files, we're going there. To Cadmus I mean. Who else is going to keep an eye on the sidekicks?

So we head over to the Cadmus building that was on fire. The fire men looked like it had it under control so we just snuck in via grapple gun. Nothing like the old fashioned grapple gun.

"How do we find Artemis and Miss Martian?" Tempest asked.

"We start," I answered, "by looking for tracks. Robin's already started." Rob was like a ninja. Literally, he even looked like one with a black ninja top and identically colored trousers. He had a facemask too, **(A/N For those who've watch Naruto, think of Kakashi's facemask.) **but then again he's never let anyone see his face. It upper head and ears open though revealing messy black (I once asked Robin why'd he have so much black on. His response was a roundhouse kick though a wall. I still have nightmares about it.) hair and dark brown eyes.

He even has ninja weapons thought the only one I see usually is across his back parallel. He once showed it to me. It was a foot long silver tanto sword with a black leather bound hilt. The sword was usually covered by a brown leather sheath.

Robin, our ninja friend, had excellent hearing and tracking abilities though. As I'm speaking now, he has his eyes closed in concentration. He opened them and pointed down the hall. I ran ahead and checked it out. The hall was dark and at the end was an elevator. Weirdly enough, the door was closing, but not before I saw an tall elfish figure with curved horns.

Check plus, Tall Elf-Dude, for creepy.

"Tempest, Rob, I just saw a creepy dude go down the elevator over here." I called to them.

"Can you describe him?" Tempest asked once he and Robin had joined me.

"I only saw his silhouette. Tall, elfy, with horns." I said.

Robin inspected it. He pointed at me and gestured running. Then pointed at the elevator. _High speed elevator._

Tempest pulled open the elevator doors. Did I mention Tempest is an Atlantian? He's darker skinned with eel tattoos circulating his arms. He has pale blond hair and pale green eyes that look silver. He wears a full body dark colored swimsuit **(A/N Think of his outfit in steal-tech.)**.

I think the three of us have a bad habit with dark clothing. It makes us look criminal.

I looked through the now open elevator opening. There was a straight endless drop leading down. Robin looked down it and pointed. _The girls definitely went that way. _"Great," I said, "A straight plummet to God knows where. Sounds like fun."

TEMPEST 

Robin shrugged and launched his grapple gun at the top and leapt off. Whisper followed and after, I swung on Robin's line and slid down, lifting my hands slightly every now in then in order not to get rope burn.

I don't think Whisper likes how Robin and I wear black. He said once it made us look like we're going to steal something. If not, then Robin's mask and a glare that rivaled Batman's would scare them. At least, that's what Whisper said.

Anyway, I think he's called the kettle black, if I said the expression correctly. He was wearing his normal attire of black with red stripes Adidas pants and a black zip up sweatshirt. The sweatshirt looked normal, but Robin and I knew that in it contained many pockets holding his arrows, bow, and other things. He currently had his hood up but underneath was a dirty blond hair that looked like it might have streaks of a dark red, brilliant green eyes, freckles, and a thick metal necklace with red bars. To me though it seemed more like a collar than a necklace, and when I'd said that, Whisper hadn't denied it. **(A/N Can anyone guess what those necklaces are? I'll give you a hint: they were in 'Terrors.')** His T-shirt was a dark grey.

Whisper wears as much dark colors as Robin and I.

Robin stops sliding down. His rope must be out of line. I meet the rest of them. We were at level 26. Robin scans the door. Sighing he unsheathes his tanto sword and slides it through the doors. With a sharp jerk the door slides open. Then he sheathes it. Whisper scowls. "Show off." I see one Robin's mask a faint difference in the area around his mouth, and I smile too. He was smirking at Whisper.

Apparently Whisper noticed because he said, "Smarty," Robin's smirk grew.

We walked warily out of the elevator shaft and entered a massive hall with red lights and steam. The ceiling had pipes going along it, and cubby-like stalls were along the wall. In them were grey rectangles. Whisper walked out slowly and his eyes widened. Then he did something I'd thought he'd never do.

He took off his collar.

Suddenly becoming a black streak, he vanished from sight. Beside me Robin's eyes had narrowed, but I wasn't paying attention to him. Then he was back with two girls. One had green skin, red hair, a cape, and a red 'x' across her chest. That must be Miss Martian. The second had grey eyes, long blond hair in a pony tail, a green outfit, and a quiver of arrows across her back. Because of the arrows and the green one can only assume she was Artemis.

Miss Martian calmly thanked Whisper and left his arms. Artemis, though, scrambled out of them and drew an arrow threateningly at Whisper. "Who are you?" she asked demandingly, "What do you want? Did the league send you to take us back? If they did, you can tell the league-"

We never knew what to tell the league. "We are not here to bring you back." I interrupted her. "We wish to help you."

Artemis opened her mouth to say something, but thundering sounds stopped her. Crossing the hall, from our little enclave, were creatures of various greys. They had four trunk-like legs, red marks, spikes in places on them like an old-fashioned armor would, and red eyes. Their heads reminded me of gorillas I've seen as did the way they walked.

Whisper pointed at them, "That's why I saved your butts." He said bluntly.

The archer whirled in his direction. "How did you see them!" she asked in the same tone as before. "And do you have superspeed?" Whisper ignored her and put his collar back on.

"Are you… restraining your powers?" Miss Martian asked. She seemed much more kinder and less demanding than Artemis.

Whisper sighed. "I don't like using my powers." He said. "They remind me of a person I don't really like much." Don't really like much? Whisper was fluffing that up. More like hated that person.

No one said anything. They couldn't understand why a person would want to hide their powers nor how to react.

Miss Martian looked in my direction. "What is your friend doing?" she asked. I looked in the direction she was. Robin, who had been originally standing was now sitting with his legs crossed, eyes closed, and hands on his knees.

"He's meditating," I answered.

"Meditating?" Whisper scoffed. "More like, got bored of our arguments and decided to ignore us." He walked over to Robin and started to punch him.

"That's not going to work," I said. He ignored me continued. Just as his fist was about to hit, Robin grabbed it and threw him, single handedly, to the wall. "I told you," I called to the fallen teen.

"I know," he grumbled. "It's just one day, I hope it will." Robin rolled his eyes. _Like that's ever going to happen, but nice try._

"Hey, hey," Artemis said in a rushed voice, "If you guys are done acting nonchalant, then maybe we can focus on the creatures that walked by us just now! What are you names anyway? No way am I cooperating with complete strangers."

"I'm Bob," Whisper said before I could speak, "that's Damon," a point to me, "and that's Sora." A point to Robin.

Said people glared Whisper who smiled cheekily.

"Well, I'm Miss Martian and that's Artemis,"

"Back to the main focus," I said, "Back stories can wait as can more information than we won't hurt you if you won't hurt us. I agree with Artemis, but I don't think it's the best idea for us to follow them. Their size and number would overwhelm us." That was a lie.

Robin tapped my arm for my attention and motioned typing. "Also, does anyone have a computer of the sorts?" I asked. Artemis took off a thick brown glove on her right hand that reached to her elbow.

"This is a holographic computer," she said presenting it to us, "Green Arrow gave it to me, but I'm really not into hacking and stuff. It'll probably serve one of you guys better than me, but I want it back afterwards." She didn't trust us. That was perfectly reasonable. I took the glove and handed it to Robin. He activated it and after a minute he'd hacked into it. The glove was now officially his. I couldn't tell what he was looking at, but he'd run off in the hall until he'd reached a metal door with a red circle in it. After a brief Robin hacking moment the circle turned green and the door opened.

"Woah," Whisper, well whispered.

'Woah' was right. The room was taller than the halls and filled with two shelves of stacked jars. In the jars were giant bug-like creatures that glowed an electric blue. Electricity sparked around each one giving them all a giant eerie glow. Between the two stack was something sparking, probably a generator.

Whisper walked around. "Now wonder they were able to hide these creatures. The creatures are probably genetically made creatures by Cadmus. These ones are bred just for generating Cadmus's energy. Those creatures in the hall were probably made, too." Robin walked over to the computer near the generator and connected his computer to it. Scanning through information quickly he soon came to what he was looking for. He moved left slightly to present his find.

"Let's see," I said, "They're called G- Nomes." Whisper read faster than me.

"Oh God," he said, "Telepathy, razor claws? Cadmus is building an army! But, for who?"

"There's more," Artemis continued her eyes squinted in the computer glare, "A Project KR…" She frowned at Robin. "Why aren't there more files up?" Silence. "Are you just rude or you can't get them?" Silence. "Speak!"

Then the doors opened. A man in a dark outfit and a golden helmet ran out. "Freeze!" he shouted. Along with him were several G-Nomes. These ones had elfish faces, were pale white, had weird skeletal bodies, whip like tails, and front legs that looked longer than the back so they had to be bent. They made guttural growling sounds like a wild beast..

Recognition hit me. "You're a hero," I said in surprise, "Guardian, right? What are you doing here?"

"I'm chief of security." He answered. "I know who the two girls are, but not you three. I can call the Justice League. I'm sure they'll want to interrogate you." Wrong words.

Whisper's eyes narrowed. "If you're a hero, why are you working for a place that makes weapons?" he almost growled.

"Weapons?" Guardian echoed. Then a little impish G-Nome with small horns and black markings sitting in a frog position turned to him. His horns glowed red and Guardian looked in pain and confused before a hard look came upon his face. "Take them down!" He ordered, "No mercy to tresspassers." Then the bigger G-Nomes leapt into action.

Before anything big could happen there was a flash of black and smoke obscured my view. Robin must've activated a smoke bomb. Whisper grabbed Artemis with a "Hey!" from the archer while I bridal style carried Miss Martian. Dodging G-Nomes I kicked Guardian in the head leaving him with a ringing head. We then followed Robin down a hall. He reached an elevator and hacking in it. The door opened and we rushed in. I looked up at the numbers stating which floor we were on. The number was rising which mean we were going down.

"Why are we going down?" Miss Martian asked. Robin traced 'kr' on the elevator wall.

"He says we're going for Project KR." I interpreted.

"Well, I think we should call the league." Artemis said putting her hands on her hips.

"C'mon, babe," Whisper seduced **(A/N Not in the, you know, mature way.) **"Don't you wish for a chance to show the JL you're worth it? Don't you want to show them that you don't deserve to me treated like kids?"

Artemis's resolve weakened. "Well, ye-"

"This is your chance!" Whisper exclaimed. "You may not have another like this anytime soon! Sure you'll get into one heck of trouble, but it'll be worth it, because you'd have shown them that you can handle whatever they throw at you."

Artemis looked down doubtfully, biting her lower lip.

"Please," Whisper encouraged, "I know you can do it. I can tell you have potential to do great things."

Artemis took one look at Whisper's pleading face. "Fine," she sighed. "But call me 'babe' again and I'll castrate you." **(A/N For younger viewers who don't know what castrating is, I'll just say it's something you do with males that's like giving them a scar.) **Whisper gulped and nodded. I smirked inside. There was no way Artemis would be able to castrate Whisper.

"Why don't you guys tell us more about you?" Miss Martian said. "I mean, give us good reasons why we shouldn't knock you out and turn you in to the Justice League. For all we know you guys are delinquents." Her eyes widened and I had a bad feeling about what she was going to say next. "Artemis! What if they're mass murderers?" Next to me Robin rolled his eyes.

"I can assure you," I said with an edge of laughter, "That we aren't delinquents or murderers. We're just three boys that travel together."

"Yeah right. With one that has superspeed, one with hacking skills, and all three fighting expertise we'll believe you."

Whisper rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Well, we've encountered people that want to hurt us so we had to learn to fight. Me gaining superspeed was an accident with some science chemicals and a storm." Artemis didn't look convinced, but the elevator stopped at level 52.

The room out had two separate paths. The paths were like caves with the same red light as the first room, but more of a magenta color. The walls looked like smooth rocks with the occasional blue one. In front of us was a bunch of equipment. The place practically screamed "I'm holding a secret!"

Then a tall elfish thin humanoid G-Nome came out of one of the paths. It was wearing a white T-shirt and pants. It had a familiar shape. "That's the G-Nome silhouette I saw in the elevator!" Whisper exclaimed.

The G-Nome raised its hand out in our direction. Its eyes and horns glowed red and two barrels came flying at us. Miss Martian held her finger-tips to her temples and the barrels redirected themselves from us. Unfortunately, they exploded at impact to the wall. We had no choice, we ran down one of the paths with an explosion at our heels. Whisper, being naturally faster than us even without superspeed, ran ahead and form my view was able to collide with a dark-skinned woman in lab coat. She fell with a yelp. Whisper saw the door and put one of the exploding cans in the doorway to stop it. "Hurry up!" he called to us. Robin rolled his eyes in annoyance. _We're not that far behind you, keep your shirt on._

We entered the room. On the outside of the door, I noticed it said it said Project KR. Artemis kicked the can out of the door and leaned against it panting. Near me Robin was fiddling with a computer. Then he gave me the thumbs up. _We're safe._

"Guys," Whisper said, "You might want to see this," We walked over to where he was. He turned on a light, and there in a cylinder container, was a teenage boy wearing a glowing white outfit. What really surprised us, was the unforgettable red 'S' on his chest. Only one man has that type of 'S.'

Superman.

Three of the G-Nomes that were on Guardian's shoulder were above the boy's head. On the cylinder were the letter's 'Kr.'

"Big 'K' little 'R,'" Whisper said, "The sign for Krypton." He ran over to Robin who had hacked into the computer. "It says, this guy is a clone made 16 weeks ago from Superman's DNA! The G-Nomes above him are force feeding him information. There's no way JL knows about this never mind weapon making." I looked around. Whisper and Artemis seemed surprised. Robin was typing, but Miss Martian was oddly blushing.

Robin typing in some keys. He reached to press one final button, but Artemis grabbed his arm. "Um, what are you doing?" Robin looked at the clone and rolled his eyes like it was obvious. Artemis's eyes narrowed. "I have no idea how to decipher what you're saying, but if you plan on releasing the clone, then change your mind." Robin glared at her. Defiantly he resisted and managed to hit the final button.

The cylinder door opened. The clone's eyes snapped open. And then he launched himself at Whisper and started to punch him with roaring noises. Artemis started firing arrows rapid fire. Upon contact, they exploded. Beneath the clone, Whisper drew his own razor sharp arrow and stabbed the clone's hand. The clone roared and leapt of Whisper red blood falling from his hand. Artemis looked at Whisper in shock. "You use arrows too?"

Whisper smirked. "What? You jealous?" Artemis's face turned red with fury. She didn't have to be angry for long, because the clone punched Whisper to Artemis and into the metal door. Both collapsed, unconscious. I drew my water-bearers and snapped my wrists. A blade flew out of each one, turning them into daggers. Yelling, I attacked the clone. He blocked my blows, but I was using blades. His knuckles started turning red with the blood from the cuts on them.

In the air, there was a cackle, the only sound Robin could make, and the said boy landed on his shoulders like they were playing an Earth game in a pool called chicken. Robin looked at the clone with regret. _I don't want to do this, but you're making me. _Reaching in a pocket he withdrew something. Smashing it against the clone's chest, yellow smoke erupted from it. Robin then leapt off him, but not before giving him a sharp roundhouse kick to his shoulder. My mind ran. Robin had aimed for the shoulder. One of his kicks could bruise the clone's shoulder. If Robin had wanted to kill him, he would've aimed for his jaw. I got Robin's message. He wanted to help the clone, not kill me. Maybe Robin felt a connection with him from Robin's own past, I don't know. All I do, is I wanted to help him too.

Miss Martian floated above me. "Robin and I want to help him." I told her. "Do you?" She nodded. Then she put her fingers to her temples like before and closed her eyes in concentration, but I couldn't tell what she was telling him. But, her efforts weren't wasted because the clone held his hands to his ears and his face contorted in pain. Then he let out a roar and through a can at her. Miss Martian's eyes widened and not expecting it, she got hit.

I focused my power in my water-bearers. A glowing cerulean hammer emerged from them. I let out a yell and attacked the clone. He blocked every one of my attacks, but I was pushing him back. Growling, he grabbed my wrists and threw me to a wall. The force of which I was hit caused several cans to fall on my back, trapping me down. I couldn't get up, but I could still see. Robin was facing him. In his hands were two eskrima sticks and blocking the clone's blows. I tried to get up, panic rushing through me. Robin wasn't good had direct hands-on combat! The clone punched, aiming for Robin's midsection, but Robin back handspring. Fortunately, Robin was an expert at gymnastics.

But, the clone grabbed Robin in midair around his neck. Natural instinct kicked in and Robin's hands flew to the clone's desperately. I could tell the grip was tightening, but Robin didn't thrash. I admired him for that, but I could tell that there was a chance Robin would die. All of us were unconscious except for me, but I was trapped. I couldn't help him. Then his body went limp.

There was a black streak, a snapping sound, and then Whisper and Robin were next to me with Robin gasping for breath. The clone clutched his hand and roared in pain. Whisper must've broken it. He didn't have as much physical strength as he could have, but try being hit by something that went 50 miles per hour.

Quickly, Whisper got the cans off me. I thanked him and went to Robin, but he waved me off, hacking. A few seconds later he was find, just breathing deeply, like he'd run his normal three mile run.

Whisper grinned. "The girls are unconscious," he stated. Robin nodded. Whisper's grin grew. "Time for no more holding back?"

I smirked and next to me, I saw the movement of Robin's facemask, signifying his smirk too. "Definatly,"

We surrounded the clone like a pack of wolves on a stag. Then we attacked.

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**A/N: Mwaaaahaaaahaaaa! I can't reveal their true power yet, now can I? I'm sorry it took so long to update. **

**Feedback?**

**-wofleclipse25**


	3. Independence Day Part 2

**A/N: May 12, 2012**

** Yeeeeaaaaah…**

** It's been too long. Sorry. I was just busy with school projects and whatnot. I was so stressed and in my head was I thinking, **_**"AAAaaaargh! I hate school! Stupid projects! I won't be able to update!" **_

** I think I may sometimes have anger management issues.**

** Anyway, the moment you've all been waiting for- Robin's POV!**

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ROBIN

I seriously hate being on guard duty. I hate a lot of things, actually, but the list is too long for me to tell. Anyway, back to guard duty. My job. I was guarding that clone. I didn't know what to call him, but 'clone.' It was mean and cruel, but it was true. We'd moved to a separate room and tied him up in there. So, here I sat next to the trussed clone while Tempest and Whisp went back for the girls. It was too quiet. I would make noise, but the only sound I can make is a creepy laugh that made anyone but Tempest and Whisper turn as white as a ghost.

Are ghosts even white? Are they even real, never mind white? Whatever.

The clone sat there silently. At first, he tried to get out, but my rope was too think and handicapping for him to do anything. Every now and then he'd glare at me like he was saying "This is your fault," when it wasn't. I wasn't the one who attacked first. What a sore loser. If you lost a match, you lost one. He had super strength and anger management issues against ninja weapons, Atlantian powers, superspeed, and great fighting abilities, not to brag.

Hmmm, once I think about it, that wasn't a real fair match. Oh, well. If he was Superman's clone, I'm sure he has more up his sleeve he doesn't even know about. He was only about 16 weeks old, and oddly had the physical body and mind of a teenager.

Sighing, I withdrew a notepad from my pocket and a pencil and wrote "Can you read?" The clone looked at it with a blank expression. I scowled and waved it to catch his attention. He looked warily at the notepad and nodded like if he was thinking if he said the wrong answer he'd be blown up. Not a bad idea actually. I should add that to my list called "Whisper Torture Methods."

I wrote another sentence, "Good, can you talk? We're not here to hurt you, you know."

He frowned and then said, "My name is… Superboy. The clone of Superman in case he shall ever fail his duties or turn against us." I suppressed the urge to yawn and jotted down, "Name: Superboy," How original.

"Good, you can speak. You're not mute." The notepad said to him. "I'm Sora," One of the many things I hate, codenames Whisp gives us. Superboy looked at me weirdly, "You look European, why are you named Japanese?" he asked.

"I can't be named Japanese? Too bad, it's my name. Anyway, the boy in black is Bob, the darker skinned boy is Damon, and the green archer is Artemis." I wrote to him. A faint pink tinge appeared on Superboy's cheeks. "Who's the red-haired girl?" "Miss Martian, I don't know her real name, sorry. Artemis and Miss Martian are a part of the Justice League. Tempest, Whisp, and I aren't."

Superboy perked up, "The Justice League? As in Superman?" I gave him a weird look. "Sure, yeah, that Justice League,"

Before the clone could answer the others came back over. "Rob!" Whisper cried running towards me. Thank, God, he had his collar on or I probably would've died of suffocation. "I missed you so much!" Cue weird looks to Whisper. I lightly flicked him in the forehead followed with a glare. _Um, what the heck are you doing!_ "I'm expressing my deepest gratitude towards my ninja friend!" I rolled my eyes. Deepest gratitude my tanto, he probably got the idea a while ago to do something like this, but could never find the right moment to put it in action. I looked at Tempest. He was smiling.

I reached for my notepad and crossed out everything but my note "Name: Superboy," and handed to the clinging teenager. He took it and looked to the clone. "So, your name is Superboy? Nice to meet you, I'm Bob," Superboy glared warily at the hand Whisper had extended. Said boy put his fist in his palm like an anime character. (God, I have to stop getting Whisper into anime shows.) "That's right! You can't shake my hand like that!" he turned to me "Sora, could you cut the rope?" I gave him the death-glare. Cut my rope? CUT my ROPE? That ROPE was the best in the world! I'd bet my life not even Superman could break a paper of the rope's material! Whisper backed off seeing my expression. "O-okay, no cutting the rope." He reached over to untie it, but I slapped his hand. Then I started to untie it myself. I wouldn't trust that kid to untie this rope even if my life depended on it. Knowing him he'd get it even more knotted somehow.

Tempest walked over to the no longer trussed boy. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Superboy. If I may be allowed to ask, how did you learn to talk?"

"The G-Nomes taught me everything I know," The clone looked around. "Where are Artemis and Miss Martian?" he asked, "Sora had said you'd been traveling with two girls?" Now that he mentioned it, the girls were gone. Oh, God, don't tell me….

Whisper rubbed his head sheepishly, "Well, you see…." They did! He stopped and stared at me seeing my killer intent all too clearly. Closing his eyes and crossing his arms he said, "Tempest did it,"

You could hear a pin drop.

"Don't make T-Damon the scapegoat!" I wrote and shoved in Whisper's face roughly. Tempest, seeing my reaction, understood that I knew it wasn't his fault and calmly said, "Sora, we lost the girls."

It took all my self control to not destroy them. Usually, I had much more tolerance, but I had a bad case of insomnia and often was awake for several days before getting at least seven hours of sleep. I hadn't slept for the past four days, it was probably past midnight, and Dimwit-In-Action and Tempest lost the girls! Also, if the JL found out their sidekicks had been lost and were last with us, we would be found! Sure, it's fun to scare the JL like I did at Washington, but I didn't want to be found! Oh dear God, I was too young too die!

I think Tempest understood my despair because he cleared his throat politely, disrupting my mind's process of my will, and said, "Sora, we do know though who took them. I understand your concern for them and that you hadn't gotten sleep, but it is necessary for you to keep calm and please not kill Wh- Bob."

Whisper ran over to me and leaned on my shoulder. "Yeah, it'll be okay, Sor," 'Sor?' Great, he's already giving a nickname for my codename. "I'm sorry I got you agitated."

"Should we go look for them?" Superboy suggested. "It shouldn't be that hard since Damon knows who took them."

Tempest said, "A man named Dr. Desmond took them. I saw him with a group of workers take the girls from Sora's hacking into the security cameras." Of course he'd see it through my hacked security cameras. There's nothing that I can't hack and leave without a trace!

After that little planning, the four of us, lead by Tempest, ran down several hallways and paths until we reached a certain one. I hooked my holograph computer to a panel by the door and hacked into the video feed to give us a view of the room. The room was dark except three tubes that glowed white. In front of the tubes were a group of computers on a 'C' shape with the curve facing the tubes. In front of the tubes also were glass containers. Two of the tubes held Artemis and Miss Martian. The Martian was looking around, I presumed for a way out. Artemis was glaring daggers at a tall, long brown haired, glasses and lab coat wearing scientist who was looking at them gleefully. I winced. He reminded me of a pervert.

I hate perverts, great another thing to my list.

I showed the other three the room. Superboy's eyes widened upon seeing the girls. It made me think, both Superboy and Miss Martian had blushed upon meeting each other. Did they perhaps… like each other? I shook my head. Now's not the time for a romance, I scolded myself.

Typing furiously at the keys of my computer, I hacked the Cadmus computers quickly. Then, through the computer, we could see that the lights in the room had blown up with a crash of glass. The lights in the hall dimmed so you could barely see and I opened the door. The three others rushed in and then came out. Tempest had his water-bearers and was in a defensive position, Whisper was also in one with Artemis near him, and Superboy and Miss Martian were staring in each others' eyes like they were going to drown in them.

I snapped my fingers at them. Sorry, if it was rude, but we needed to get out. Everyone started running down the halls. I hesitated and then threw several bombs at the glass containers. They exploded with multiple clinking sounds. Inside, I could hear Desmond roaring in anger. I let out a cackle and ran after the others. As we were running I noticed the blue rocks on the walls were glowing. Narrowing my eyes I withdrew my bo-staff and swung at it. There was a hiss and when the light had faded, I could see beneath my staff was the cracked skull of one of the G-Nomes that Guardian had when he'd found us. I let out a whistle of a warning at the others.

"I hear you, Sor!" Whisper yelled as he ran past me. Of course, he still had his collar on though; it just shows how fast he is without his superspeed. Turning around me, he faced his pursuers and promptly smacked them into the wall with flying punches. He looked at me and bowed. I raised an eyebrow and clapped mockingly as he said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you very much," in an Elvis Presley imitation.

I ran ahead to see how the others were doing. Several of the bodies were already scattered on the floor, some of which were littered with arrows and stab markings; surely the handiwork of Tempest and Artemis. I snatched Whisp's hand as he ran by me and made rapid fire signs in sign language. I didn't like using it, but right now there was no alternative. _Tell the others to keep running, there's no time for fighting these creatures! _He nodded in acknowledgement and yelled, "Sor says to just run ahead and just get rid of the ones in your way!" I saw Tempest, Artemis, and Miss Martian nod in understanding, but Superboy just roared, jumped up high to the ceiling, and smashed several down.

_'Superboy!' _I winced. What was that? It sounded like a mental shout. Then I remembered- duh!- Miss Martian was a Martian. Telepathic powers. She must've used them to communicate to Superboy.

The clone roared in anger and I winced again. Sighing, I signed to Whisper to tell Miss Martian how he was force fed information via telepathically and didn't appreciate the intrusion probably. I saw him talking to her a moment later and horror appearing in her eyes. I rolled my eyes. If she was horrified by that then she'd be dead if she'd seen what I'd seen.

I ran over to Superboy and jumped on his back, piggy-back style. He then acted like a bull and started, in vain attempts to get me off, to smash his back against the walls. Pain exploded everywhere, and everything flashed black and white. All the air rushed out of me. Through my blindness though, I could make out Miss Martian and Artemis screaming "Sora!", and G-Nomes starting to surround us. I knew it wouldn't be long before Desmond came. Mustering strength, I sucked in air the best I could and started to whistle.

This may sound stupid, but I've always been good at whistling and mimicking tunes. I know, girly, but I decided to whistle like a bird. Superboy stopped, startled. I guess he's never heard a whistle before never mind a bird. I wrote on my notepad and held it in front of his face, "Calm down, our objective is to get out, not fight, understand?" He looked at the note dumbly and nodded slowly. I sighed and got off his back and rubbed my head mouthing 'ow.' Whisper rushed over to me asking if I was okay. I nodded and signed "We have to go!" As if to prove my point, the hissing sounds of more G-Nomes were heard.

I grabbed the frozen hand of the clone's and dragged him down the halls.

Tempest lead us to a elevator, but there was no elevator. I opened the shaft and we started to climb up. Whisper with me, Miss Martian flying with Artemis, and Superboy with Tempest. He tried to fly, but after several floors, he started to fall. Thankfully, Artemis had seen this and launched several arrows to catch them. Superboy looked downcast. "Superman can fly, why can't I?" That, was a very good question. I'd try and find and answer, but we're a little busy at the moment. Also, with my sources, I'm sure I'll find the answer some day.

In an attempt to cheer him up, Whisper said, "You can still jump skyscrapers, pretty cool,"

We entered sub level 15 and ran down more halls. Suddenly, Superboy said, "Turn left," I narrowed my eyes. How did he know to turn left if he's never been out of his tube before? We then ran into a dead end. "Great, nice job clone!" Artemis said in frustration. Superboy growled at 'clone.' "We've reached a dead end! Why are we even with you? You attacked us!"

"His name's not 'clone!'" Miss Martian said defensively. "It's Superboy! And, we're with him because we want to help him!"

"And how would you know?" Artemis shot back.

Miss Martian's face turned red in embarrassment. "I read his mind," she said. Cue another growl from Superboy.

I then heard, "Nice job, Sor!" and nearly fell off the wall. I felt the urge to do a Superboy and growl, but I contained myself. While the two girls had been arguing, I had climbed the wall and opened a grate that no one had seen in the rush. Whipping around I had to also suppress the urge to flip Whisp. He was grinning like an idiot. He knew he'd gotten me mad. I jumped off the wall and pointed at the wall. In case people can't understand that, I meant to say "We're going in there, or you can die if you want." Unfortunately, for me, gestures don't include sarcasm.

Once in the ventilation system I hacked the motion sensors. I smirked just imagining Pervy-Desmond's expression once he found out I'd done that.

I love infuriating my enemies.

"Woooh!" Whisper let out a small whisper cheer. "I found the stairwell!" Drawing out an extremely sharp arrow he ran ahead without superspeed leaving behind several G-Nomes with fatal stab and slash wounds. Some were already down for good. Superboy slowed down so he was last and then smashed the staircase preventing pursuit. I smiled. Looks like the clone is more than brute strength after all.

We met Whisper at the top of the stairwell. "Good news or bad?" he asked.

Tempest frowned. "Good news,"

"The good news? I found the entrance to sub level 1, our exit."

"And the bad news?" Miss Martian prompted him.

Whisper sighed. "The bad news is the door to sub level 1 is locked." I looked down the hall he was facing. Sure enough there was a closed door. I ran to it and tried to hack it. I bit my lip, almost done. I hear a yell and then everything went black.

I woke up with a gasp. I hate mental attacks. I hear something. Is that… Guardian? Was he trying to make a deal with Desmond? I heard the said scientist laugh. I sighed mentally. Why must the villains always laugh evilly? "I will win, with Project Blockbuster!" or something along those lines. I didn't really care. Though, I did notice the scientist drinking an electric blue serum from a vial and start to yell in pain. It was disgusting. His flesh started stretching and eventually was destroyed like clothing. Red markings like ones on G-Nomes appeared on his skin and his face turned animalistic while his body grew so it looked like he was really buff. I'm not sure if he's an 'he' anymore, more like an 'it.'

"Ugh," Whisper complained.

"What?" Artemis asked sharply. Looks like everyone was awake.

"I can't believe this guy!" He pointed to what used to be Desmond exasperatedly. "Science shouldn't be used for this!"

"Really?" Artemis yelled at him. "That's what you're worried about?"

Whisper shrugged, "Well, what would I be worried about?"

Back to the monster. While Artemis and Whisper had been bickering, it'd knocked out Guardian, nearly all the G-Nomes, and was currently on its next project: Superboy. Man, I think Supey's found his match in roaring. Tempest then entered the battle. He withdrew his water-bears and formed glowing blue maces on each one. Letting out a yell, he swung at the monster. The monster roared in anger and blocked Tempest's attacks. Then Superboy grabbed the monster, and both somehow ended up making a through the ceiling to the outside. Whisper shaded his eyes and whistled appreciating. "That's one way to get out a building," he commented.

"Oh, shut up," Artemis said and climbed up out of the hole with Miss Martian following.

Whisper looked at me and shrugged. "Girls," and followed the two. I sighed. More like 'guys.' Up on top the first thing I noticed was support beams off to the side with a large area between. Apparently, we were in the Cadmus lobby. Tempest looked at me.

"What's your plan, Sora?" I looked to see what the others were doing. Miss Martian was flying above and sending various items in the monster's way. Artemis was firing arrows, but was nearby so she should be able to hear us. Superboy was engaging the enemy and Whisper was off to the side leaning against a beam patiently waiting for a plan. I looked around, and my mind ran with a list of all our present abilities and weapons that I knew. Once I got a plan, I signed rapid-fire in which only Whisper could understand. He grinned and explained it. Then we put it in action.

The plan happened quickly. Whisper spread Tempest's water around, Miss Martian and Superboy lead the monster to the designated position, and Artemis planted bombs. Me? I decided to hide and just relax. There were more than enough people that could take care of this. Once it was in place, Tempest simply electrocuted the water. The electricity traveled down the water to the monster, stunning it painfully. Then the bombs went off and the entire building collapsed on us. That's where Miss Martian would do her best to revert the rubble to the monster and around us.

Unfortunately, that's when the JL just had to show up. Every member was there. Apparently, we'd made quite an impression. I looked at Whisper and Tempest. Tempest's face was impassive, but I couldn't see Whisper's because his hood was blocking it. In front of us were Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow. Panic surged through me. We had to get away. I glanced around us, blocking out what they were saying. Then I heard Batman ask, "Who are you three?"

We were silent and finally Whisper got the guts to say something. "Um, new acquaintances?" he suggested weakly. I wanted to facepalm myself. Of course Whisper would attempt humor now. I saw the heros' eyes narrowed.

"I recognize that voice," Batman said, "You're the one they called 'Flash' in the security footage."

Artemis's eyes widened. "You snuck in the Justice League headquarters?"

"Oh, so you found that?" Whisper said, "I guess that's okay, I think Sora intended to do that."

"So 'Sora' is your real name?" Batman asked me. I glared at him.

I saw Whisper glance at me and I rasied my hand slightly to my neck. He nodded. I made eye contact with Tempest and he nodded. We have a fool-proof backup plan that always works. Get out and run.

Aquaman's eyes widened. "Kaldur?" he asked. Tempest stiffened and my need to go rose. "It is you, Kaldur!" the Atlantian exclaimed. "I've been so concerned and worried these past sev-" Before he could say another word, I'd moved and swung my legs behind his knees making him fall. Then I jumped up and landed above him with my feet on his arms and my tanto raised above his throat. It's happened so fast, even the Flash was surprised.

Immediately, the JL and co. (sidekicks) set a stance against me. I looked at everyone evaluating how to defeat everyone. This would be easy. I just needed to take my-

My thoughts were interrupted my a hand on my shoulder. "Sora, stand down," Tempest ordered. Tempest was smart. Now the JL thought Tempest was in charge. In truth none of us was in charge, we each had our role to play in our little family.

I hadn't realized it, but I'd been reverting back to assassination days. I just reached in my belt. Everyone tensed. You could hear a pin drop. In one fluid motion, several smoke bombs were activated. Whisper's collar came off and he'd carried Tempest away. Why he didn't take me was because I was really good at hiding. If I didn't want to be found, I wouldn't be. Once the other two were safely away, I threw several kunai at random. Then I vanished in the shadows leaving only a cackle behind.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if it sounded rushed at the end. I tend to end these past 9 p.m. so I feel rushed to get ready for bed since I have to do these on the computer and can't on my iPod.**

** I'm thoroughly disappointed that I only got three reviews for my second chapter. I know I write bad, but next time if you don't like something, could you tell me so that I may improve? **

**Thank you again:**

_**Browniesarethebest**_

_** Dextra2**_

**For reviewing.**

**Can anyone please tell me the difference between hits and visitors on your story stats?**

**Feedback of any kind except from your stomach is accepted, even flames.**

**-wolfeclipse25 **


	4. Welcome to Happy Harbor

**A/N: May 15, 2012**

** OMG, thank you, guys, so much for 10 more reviews! Some of you asked questions and such so I'll try my hardest to answer them. Here goes.**

_**Flying Jay, Alex Skywalker, Browniesarethebest, DaughterofSelene103, None, D..J: **_**Thanks for your supportive comments. Expecially, **_**Flying Jay **_**and **_**Alex Skywalker. **_**Thank you for taking the time to write a long review saying my positive points and negative. I'll try and work on them.**

_**Dextra2: **_**Thanks for constantly reviewing. I'm sorry, but the boys don't have major powers. Just more fighting expertise and skills at fighting that they don't want others to know. Though, I do have a plan for Tempest and Whisper involving Cadmus later on. It'll probably appear when I rewrite the episode when Superboy meets Lex Luther as his half father. Ugh, that's so far away…**

_**That Girl Who Was GG: **_**I'm sorry, but I don't really want a Beta. Thank you though.**

_**Squishy Pencil: **_**Dude! (Sorry if you're a girl and don't want to be called 'dude.') Thank you so much for clearing up the visitor/hits explanation for me. I appreciate it much!**

_**anon: **_**I hope you receive this because you're not signed as an actual author of FF. Anyway, as for pairings, I'll try to write the usual Supermartian, try a little SpitFire/Waltemis, and maybe have Zatanna appear to have interest in Robin. I'm sorry for those who love romance, I'm not good at writing it.**

** Okay, that was long and I apologize for the numerous 'Thank you!'s in it. Also, I've devided to stop watching each episode to get the script right. From now on, the chapters will be formed from my memory, my imagination, and the episode overviews on .. Now, I'll continue 'A Bird, Speed, and **_**Water.'**_

* * *

WHISPER

_ "We walk a lonely road, the only one that we have ever known,"_

_ "Don't know where it goes, but it's home to us, and we walk alone,"_

_ "We walk this empty street, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams,"_

_ "Where the city sleeps, and we're the only one, and we walk alone,"_

I stopped singing my version of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day so it was plural and went to humming the rest. The other two didn't argue. It was true. We usually traveled just the three of us, living fugitive lives. We hadn't done anything wrong; we just didn't want to be caught by the JL. The song had appeared on my iPod touch on shuffle. Just because we were on the run didn't mean we didn't have iPod touches. Well, Rob and I did. Tempest was content with iPod classic. I then had tricked them out so they had a ton of GB and large battery. How much I didn't know. I just know with over 150 songs it was still going at lightspeed. With the battery I installed it could go for several days playing YouTube for 16 hours a day. **(A/N Yes, I realize the likelihood of an iPod with this capacity is impossible. I just wanted to make them have more power and GB since they were on the run and everything.)**

Don't worry; we didn't steal them We don't steal unless we absolutely have to. Whenever we enter a new city, we try to find a job under a disguise. Actually, Robin doesn't join us. He does a different job that suits him better. I think it'd be better not for him to tell us because he comes back after several days, exhausted and carrying a ton of moola (Money,).

Presently, we were walking down Star City Harbor at 11'o clock p.m. The docks were empty except for street lights, cargo boxes, and some ships. Star City was lit up with lights, but it was obvious many of the residents were asleep, or at least not at the harbor.

We'd gotten to Star City by when we'd escaped capture by the Justice League. I'd just run away with no direction in mind and ended up here. After two days Rob caught up with us. I felt bad at leaving him every time we run from someplace in a real hurry, but I knew we had to. Tempest wasn't as fast as me and couldn't track or vanish like as Rob could. If we'd let him behind, he'd be caught by the JL. No offence to him intended.

It was too quiet for my liking. We'd always been quiet, but we'd always talk sometimes. This time, we hadn't talked since we'd left Cadmus. I decided to break the tension.

"Well, one good thing came out of this," I said. Robin looked at me. _And, what would that be? _I grinned at my short ninja. "I got to use the name 'Bob' as a codename." I bet if Rob could speak he would've groaned, but he understood what I'd been trying to do and probably would've done the same thing if he could. To my right, Tempest smiled.

"That's right, you'd said earlier that you'd wanted to use it," **(A/N Think about the first chapter when Whisper was complaining about their codenames.) **

Robin opened his notepad, "I was wondering, why we always think of the name 'Bob' when we have to think of a name besides our own?" he'd written.

I closed my eyes in concentration. "That's a good question," I said as the ninja showed Tempest his question. I sighed. "It was too bad we had to meet the JL. Our presence is now known, and I don't know about you and Aquaman, Tempest, but I have no intention of seeing Flash unless I get to see him hurt."

Tempest shook his head. "I have no intention of seeing Aquaman again after seven years." He said.

"I actually think it was a good idea we fled. One: we were surrounded. Two: it looked like Rob was going to commit first-degree murder to Aquaman." I said laughing. Beside me, Rob's face burned slightly from embarrassment.

Tempest didn't join in. "I appreciate the meaning of your actions," he told Robin, "but I'd also appreciate it if you hadn't done that. I wish to fight him myself and on my own terms." Robin nodded solemnly.

I looked at each of them. "Oh, c'mon!" I complained. "I'd just gotten us all talking again! Sometimes it stinks that Tempest is formal and Robin can't talk." I ignored Rob's scowl and Tempest's apologetic face and looked up from them and down the dock. Then I raised an eyebrow, and a mischievous grin spread across my face. Robin sighed. _I hate that look. He's planning something._

Tempest looked sympathetic. "At least it's not us he's picking on now."

* * *

"Oh. My. God! It's Speedy!" The said archer jumped several feet spouting colorful language. Before he'd been minding his own business, but then _I _came. He turned to me, scowling. I grinned and resumed my fan girl squeal and started talking faster. "You're Green Arrow's sidekick right? Well, I guess you're not anymore after your explosion at Washington. Man, that's all over the news! Did you do that on purpose to get attention? I'm sorry if you don't like being called Speedy, I just didn't know what else to call you!"

The archer face palmed and slowly slid his hand down. I could tell he was exasperated by my antics. "Listen, kid-"

"Can I have your autograph?" I interrupted him. "I've always admired you! I know it sounds gay, but I'm really happy to meet you!" In the distance I heard the familiar evil laugh of Robin's. Speedy looked startled by it, but I ignored it. It was just Robin after all. "Anyway, what's a sidekick like you doing here at 11o' clock? Hmmm, I wonder…"

Speedy opened his mouth to say something else, but I beat him to it. "Oh. My. God." I gasped.

"What now?"

"Did Green Arrow and you get in a fight that involved him kicking you out? Are you trying to redeem yourself? I'm so, so, so, so sorry I interrupted your attempts at redemption! Now, about that autograph…" I looked at my handiwork. Previously, the archer had been alert and aiming at something, but now he looked tired and annoyed.

"What are you doing here, Speedy?" Speedy looked startled.

"What are you: bipolar?" he asked me.

I stared at him, serious now. "No, that was all an act."

"What?" the archer was furious. Mission accomplished.

"I am sorry for…" Tempest looked at me quickly. I shook my head. We didn't want to use our real names. Besides it'd be fun seeing the JL's reactions when they found out that the same people who'd helped the girl sidekicks had helped Speedy. "Bob's actions. He's quite the prankster." Behind Tempest, Robin was trying to catch his breath while half laughing and mouthing the words I'd told Speedy.

Speedy calmed down. "Okay, so I know nitwit's name," he said ignoring my indignant yell of "Hey!" at the name 'nitwit', "but I don't know your name," he pointed to Tempest, "or laugh-a-lot's name." I laughed a little at Robin's nickname, laugh-a-lot. Robin's laughing level rose. "Geez," Speedy complained.

"I am Damon," Tempest said, "and the boy behind me is Sora. Before you say anything to him, I should tell you that Sora doesn't talk at all. So, Speedy-"

"It's Roy,"

"Pardon me?"

Spe- Roy sighed. "My name is Roy. I quit being Green Arrow's 'partner' on July 4th, so as long as my enemies don't know, I can tell you guys my real name." He looked at us warily. "You aren't my enemies, are you?"

Tempest let out a smile. "We have no intention of harming you in any way."

Roy sighed in relief and then turned serious again. "Quiet," he said and drew another arrow." I peeked around the corner of the cargo box we'd been hiding behind. A bunch of workers were there and it looked like it would be a normal shipment, but it was near midnight. Why would there be a shipment near midnight? There was only one answer for that: they were conducting an illegal shipment.

A crane started lifting several boxes. When the boxes were about three feet off the ground they suddenly dropped back down. I looked up at the crane. The rope connecting the crane to the shipment had been cut into several pieces. I grinned. Only one person could do that. Roy's eyes were wide. "What was that?" I guess he hadn't been expecting backup. He looked at the two of us. "I suppose you two aren't normal civilians." Then his brain registered what he'd just said. "Two?" he shrieked. "Where'd Laugh-A-Lot go?" Right on cue there was a cackle.

"Oh," I responded casually, "Sora's just relieving some stress. He hasn't gotten any good action lately."

"Who is disturbing my shipment now?" A voice bellowed. The owner of the voice was a large man with broad shoulders. He was wearing a brown coat and an unwrapped yellow scarf. His small beard and four stripes of vertical hair were silvery, and he had red-ish skin. I frowned. Not a normal guy, I thought.

"That's Brick," Roy muttered angrily, "He's in charge of illegal shipments that have been happening at Star City."

Gee, wonder where he got his name? It's not like his skin is red like a brick or anything, right?

Brick smirked. "Is that you Speedy? I know you've been interrupting my latest shipments. Personally, I'm disappointed that Green Arrow hadn't been dealing with me. I bet he would've finished me long ago." Roy clenched his teeth. I guess he didn't like being compared to Green Arrow. I don't like being compared to the Flash. "Oh, well. Fire, men!"

Roy jumped out in the open. I turned to Tempest. "Let's just be sidekicks, just this once," I said. He sighed and nodded in reluctant agreement. I took out my own arrows and went in the shadows, shooting workers. Several cargo boxes exploded with a _BOOM_ and a cloud of smoke; Robin's handiwork probably. As if to prove me right, he left over the crevice I'd been hiding in with a laugh. Tempest had jumped in the ocean and was currently stopping the shipment. There was a flash of electric blue electricity surrounding the ship like a web and then the ship went _BOOM _like the cargo boxes. Back on the dock I saw Tempest leap out of the water. I inwardly pouted. Why do they get to play with explosions?

Brick swore some colorful language. I guess he realized his chances of winning were one in a million. His ship was destroyed. His cargo was currently undergoing the process of being bombed by a laughing ninja. Almost all his workers were dead. The only living ones were the ones who'd joined only because they'd needed the money for their families. Oops, Roy was going to have a fit. Heroes don't kill. Though technically, the three of us weren't heroes. Anyway, and, an arrow was pointed at him, prepared to handicap him if he made one wrong move.

Roy let the arrow fly. Then shot several more. They exploded on contact with Brick. The man laughed. "I have invulnerability, Speedy. Your toothpicks can't hurt me!" Roy scowled and reached for a different kind of arrow. Then he shot it. This time, red foam grew on contact and surrounded Brick. I recognized it as high-density polyurethane form. Brick let loose more words. I raised an eyebrow as I walked out between the cargo boxes. I never knew one person knew so many words like that. Robin plopped down next to me landing on the balls of his feet.

"'Have fun?" I asked him. He shrugged, but I could tell he had. It was easy to do what he did, but not easy like writing the alphabet easy. Then Tempest walked over to the other side of me.

The archer turned to us. "Thank you for helping me," he said.

I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "No prob,"

"Roy," Tempest said, "We want to know your opinion on the Justice League and why you left."

"That's easy," came the answer, "I felt like I was treated like a kid. Also, Green Arrow had taken in Artemis. I felt replaced and angry. When the Justice League told us that the Hall of Justice was the Justice League HQ , that was the final straw. Green Arrow had told us that the real HQ was in space and the Justice League then decides to lie to us? I had to leave. I couldn't be comrades with liars." Roy stood up. "I don't know you guys and I don't know what your connection is with the Justice League, but I know that we'll meet again one day; until then, good-bye." Then he slowly walked away.

"Wait!" I called to him.

"What?"

"The three of us, were a part of the Cadmus incident."

Roy's eyes narrowed. "Your point?"

I grinned. Artemis was so going to hate me. "My point is, we traveled with Artemis and Miss Martian. I have a feeling that whether we like it or not we'll meet them again."

"So what do you want?"

I went fan girl on him. "I want your autograph, Ro-o-o-oy,"

The archer recoiled. "Don't do that!" he hissed.

"No, seriously, I want your autograph."

"Why?"

My mischievous grin appeared on my face. "Let's just say I really want to anger a certain blond archer."

Roy grinned catching my meaning. "Sure," Robin tore off a page of his notepad and passed to the archer with a pencil. He wrote something and gave to me, and then continued on his way. "See yah,"

I looked at the note. It said: With love and care (not), Red Arrow.

* * *

**A/N: Okay we're done!**

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**Just kidding! I do one episode per chapter! Man that took longer than I expected. Too much fluff and humor attempts, and for that I apologize. Now I shall continue!**

* * *

(still) WHISPER

"Welcome to Happy Harbor, folks! I will be your guide to the power plant disturbances which involve horrible winds and screaming civilians!" I announce in a Southern accent. "Up ahead is the said power plant! Note that it looks like a warehouse and those rapid tornadoes and twisters appear to be surrounding it. Did I warn you to not wear headwear or loose article of clothing? Oh, well, not my fault if ya loose 'em! Also, see? Your expected screaming civilians as they're chased them the storms! I hope you have earplugs!"

A red aerodynamic ship then lands roughly in the parking lot. The front of it looked like it was going to shoot a beam at us and it had the shape of bird-wings facing backwards at the back.

I wave my arms wildly and have to yell over the wind, but still hold up the 'Southern tour guide' act. "Look folks! It's a foreign ship! Looks like you get an extra special treat for this tour! What an arrival! They'd ridden an tornado and crashed landed on the parking lot, what talent! Who's coming out you ask? It's Artemis! Green Arrow's protégé! Next is Miss Martian, the newest sidekick of Martian Manhunter! Oh! A third person! I didn't know the Justice League had gathered another sidekick! Something I didn't know… Well, you learn somthin' every day! With the Superman red 'S' on his back T, he must be, Superboy!"

"Whisper, please stop your antics right now, we have to help them," Tempest said.

I frowned, not actually upset though. "It appears that one tourist, Damon here, wishes to interact with the young heroes! Go for it folks! Just remember, no flash photography!" Tempest sighed, but was still amused.

Following Robin, we entered the power plant and watched as the other three got their butts wiped by a red, dark blue and black android that was the cause of the storms. He had a stocky build. On his round head were light glowing blue eyes with two tubes that were the same color and traveled from where his scapula would be to his wrists. To complete its look, it had a dark brown scarf wrapped around its neck. Apparently, his name was Mister Twister.

So original.

Anyway, the 'team's' defeat: it'd begun with Miss Martian thinking Mister Twister, who I will be fondly referring to as MT so you don't think I'm thinking 'mountain," was Red Tornado. Even I could see he wasn't, this is why I avoid aliens when they've just entered Earth. They get so confused to easily, it's pathetic. The android let out a mechanical laugh. "You think I'm Red Tornado?" Then he'd summoned lightning. I wasn't expecting that.

Next to me, Robin was tapping a beat with his headphones on. Is he even paying attention to this?

Next, Superboy tried to attack MT head on. A bad idea in this case, I mean it's not like the android can control winds and lightning or anything. I was right, because MT easily sent Supey down with a cloud of dust. Next to Miss Martian, Artemis had nocked an arrow and fired it. It was one of those explodey ones, but it didn't have an effect on the android. He got ready to fire more lightning, but something blocked his view. It was the red ship they'd flown it. It had camouflage abilities, but wasn't invisible because the careful eye could see it. "I'll let you leave now," MT said, "but next time there will be no mercy." Then he flied off.

"Okay, what just happened?" Artemis asked, bewildered.

"I put the Bio-Ship between us and activated her camouflage mode."

Superboy whirled angrily on Miss Martian. "I can't believe you thought that was Red Tornado!" he yelled angrily at her.

"Hey!" Artemis protested, "Anybody could've made that mistake! I bet you would've!" The two heroes were giving each other death-glares, one with an angry expression and the other a look of defiance. The two looked like they were about to murder each other. Then they 'humphed' at the same time turned away and stalked off. The last hero stood there with a helpless look on her face.

"Miss M!" I yelled, "Long time, no see!" The Martian looked at me in surprise.

"Bob?" she said in disbelief then her expression hardened, "What are you doing here?" she levitated up threateningly. I waved my hands in submission.

"I don't want hurt you," I said.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'll believe that when Sora almost killing Aquaman turns out to be an illusion!"

"But the chances of that are zero!" I complained.

"Exactly," Miss Martian raised her arms. Uh oh, I thought, here comes telekinesis. Then Robin stepped out in the open. He held out a piece of paper and held it out to the floating girl. She took it and calmed down. "I'm sorry," she told me.

"It's fine," I grinned.

Tempest joined us. "We saw the entire thing with Mister Twister." He said.

Miss Martian looked down. "You did?" I guess she wasn't proud of it.

"Yes," Tempest continued, "Now we must focus on defeating it."

"But I already asked for Red Tornadoe's help!" Miss Martian said in despair, "He'd refused!"

"Did he say anything else?" I translated for Robin.

"He said that it was a coincidence that they were both inorganic and had the same elemental abilities…" her voice trailed off. Then she looked with new hope. "I have an idea."

* * *

I watched as a red robot with yellow outlined arrow on its head and blue cape floated down via tornado. Nearby, Superboy and Artemis were standing there, beaten up. They stared at the android like he was God. "Red- Red Tornado!" Artemis yelped, "What are you doing here?"

Red Tornado turned its head to Artemis. "Miss Martian asked for my assistance."

"Where is she now?" Superboy asked.

"Miss Martian is currently setting up the Medical Bay in case of injuries. Last I saw she was almost done and should be here soon." Superboy sighed, in what I assumed relief. Oooh, looked like an romance was going to develop. My mind ran thinking of couple nicknames. Missboy? No, that just sounded stupid. SuperMartian? That was the best one so far. I shook my head. I'll think of it more later.

Red Tornado studied the two other heroes. "You two look worn out. Please stand back while I take care of this." Then he activated his tornado. The two androids battled, elemental powers and the same.

"Don't deny the fact, Red Tornado," MT said, "You're elemental strength can't compare with mine. I am far superior." Surprisingly, Red Tornado was overpowered and soon forced down. "Now, Red Tornado, I will have to rewire you," Wires produced from his fingertips and started towards Red Tornado's head. Suddenly, the red robot's head swiveled and turned green with red hair growing from it. Soon it'd turned to the head of Miss Martian.

"Sorry, android, but Red Tornado's not available. The tornado that Miss Martian had turned into, vanished and I stopped spinning.

"Great," I said, "Now I'm dizzy," I snapped out of it and yelled at Superboy. "Superboy, punch this android!" Superboy jumped slightly and complied. "Now, throw him in the ocean!" He once again followed my orders. I knew Tempest was in there, just waiting to electrify MT. A moment later, the robot was thrown back out of the water, sparking. Robin immediately jumped on it, ignoring the sparks, and slapped some bombs on it. Then he leapt off just at the thing blew. "Booh-yah!" I celebrated.

The chest of MT opened and a pathetic looking man in a lab coat came crawling out. As soon as he did, Robin tensed. The man started blabbering about how he was sorry and he'd come quietly, but Robin didn't get him a chance to talk more. One moment Robin was several feet away from the man, the next he was several feet away on the opposite end. The man stopped, midsentence, and was then slashed to ribbons. Robin stood up and sheathed his tanto. I gave him a thumbs up. "Great job! You looked so anime-like! And you say I watch too much anime." I snorted in disbelief. Robin rolled his eyes at me.

"Now," I said, "We have to go!" Then I got prepared to run, but Robin grabbed my scruff. His expression said, Don't forget Tempest.

I waved my hand dismissively at him. "Gotcha," I said to tell him I didn't mean it. As I started to turn around, my vision was obscured by red. Something hit me several times in various places and I started to fall forward. The 'something' caught me by my hood. I looked up slowly and swore.

"You!" I managed to say. Then everything faded to black.

* * *

**A/N: I'll apologize again for the excessive fluff and humor, but I do hope you found it funny. I'm also sorry if Roy is a little OOC. Anyway, guess who caught Whisper? **

**WARNING: The next chapter will probably be shorter because it's not going to be based on a chapter.**

**Any feedback except the kind out of your mouth is accepted. **

**-wolfeclipse25**


	5. Reunions

**A/N: May 21, 2012**

**Something scary is happening May 25, this Friday.**

**You wanna know what it is?**

**My birthday. O.o? It's just a pain to deal with, that's all. I just wanted to tell you guys that my b-day is coming up!**

**Anyway, I'll warn you again; this chapter will be shorter than others because it's not based on an episode; only my own imagination and characters by whoever made Young Justice. Now, to review replies:**

_**DaughterofSelene: **_**Do you want my honest answer? I have no idea. I mean, I just made it so Miss M wouldn't notice them. My only explanation once I think about it is that since she never connected their minds she couldn't detect them as easily as she could if she had. Also, she was distraught about being a member of the Team and how they'd fought and lost to MT. Also, the answer to your last question will be revealed in- what?- the first sentence of this chapter.**

_**Browniesarethebest: **_**Yeah, Bob's a pretty funny name. No offence to those named Bob! Anyway, thanks for reviewing again!**

_**Squishy Pencil: **_**Alright! Girls rule! And to what Robin wrote to Miss M? It was something along the lines of 'I'm sorry,' I never really gave it much thought, and for that I am sorry. As for Robin's job? It was assassinating villains and bringing in bounties. O.O I know, I have a messed up life for him.**

_**Alex Skywalker: **_**Dude! You wrote a TON! Thanks a lot! I appreciate that you spend the time writing that much, and I don't mind your rants. My friend once e-mailed me a paragraph about pillows. That's right, PILLOWS. She's weird, but that's okay. Anyway, yes, this story is an AU based off Season One of Young Justice. Thanks for the encouragement by the way! **

**And now, let's begin!**

* * *

THIRD POV

Flash looked at the limp boy he held by his hood. Apparently, this was the boy who'd gone under the name 'Flash' during the surveillance video. Before the boy had passed out, he'd given the hero a look of fear and anger while weakly saying "You," He looked normal enough, but what surprised him was the shade of green the boy's eyes were. Flash only knew one family with that shade of green. He didn't think it was possible, but could this boy be…?

Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter had arrived. Presently, Flash held Whisper by his hood, **(A/N Remember, this is Third POV so it's okay if I write their names.) **Batman had Robin slung over his shoulder on his belly, and Tempest was the only conscious one for the moment, but trapped under a web of electrocuted wire. Every now and then, the Atlantian was wince in pain. Flash and Batman started walking back towards the jet they'd come it while Aquaman waited for Tempest to fall unconscious. The three sidekicks looked stunned by the sudden appearance of the Justice League.

Miss Martian snapped out of it first. "Wait, stop!" she yelled. The heroes looked at her and the Martian blushed in embarrassment at yelling at her superiors. "I'm sorry," she said quieter, "but those boys helped us! They helped us at Cadmus and helped me defeat Mister Twister! Please don't take them away."

The older Martian turned to his niece, "M'gann," he said, "these boys are fugitives and one is an Atlantian Aquaman has been looking for, for the past four years. It's our duty to see if they've hurt anyone and bring them back to their families if they're families want them."

"Families?" a deep voice said, filled with pain, "Families? We have none that want us!" Tempest's eyes flashed angrily. "You know nothing about us, and we won't ever tell you anything we don't want to tell you!" He tried to get up, but couldn't. Still, he continued his efforts. Superboy could hear his muttering. "We don't have a home to run back to. We only have each other. I have to get up! The Justice League just had to interfere… If they hadn't been cowards and caught us off guard, we'd be long gone and safe!"

Aquaman walked over to Tempest, hurt and regret written all over his face. "Kaldur-" he began.

"Don't call me that!" Tempest hissed angrily. Aquaman winced and tried again.

"Please, you do have a home!"

The pale green eyes glared at him. "Do I really? Ever since Black Manta revealed himself as my father all Atlantians have rejected me! Even you! You actually ignored me and completely forgot my presence! I left after years of mental and physical abuse I didn't even know why I was receiving! Then I found out so I left! I found a new family, one that doesn't care about my past and only me! Only to have it taken away by the same man who could've practically in charge of the prejudice against me!" Tempest was breathing heavy after his explosion. The three sidekicks had looks of shock, sympathy, and anger. The two human heroes looked shocked at this news. This boy was Black Manta's, an infamous criminal of the sea, son?

Aquaman had turned white and was looking guilty. That was when Tempest's last remaining strength gave out and he was unconscious with the last words of "Sorry," on his lips. The older Atlantian looked at the two other boys held by Flash and Batman. Those boys were probably the family Kaldur had been talking about, he thought. Batman dropped Robin unceremoniously on the ground and removed the wire. Aquaman then picked up the fallen Atlantian in a similar fashion in which Batman had carried Robin. Then all three heroes with Martian Manhunter and kidnapped boys left leaving the sidekicks and Red Tornado.

Red Tornado turned to the silent sidekicks. "You did well," he said in his mechanical voice, "Please report back to Mt. Justice so that we may debrief." Then he left via tornado.

Miss Martian was sobbing, not completely understanding what had happened, but that she'd gotten her new friends in trouble. Superboy was confused and angry after hearing Tempest's past. And, Artemis was stunned at what she'd whitnessed. "Okay, what the heck just happened?"

* * *

TEMPEST

When I came to, the first thing I remembered was that we were in the Justice League's hands. The next thing was that Whisper and Robin were captured too. That definitely woke me up. I frantically looked around my surroundings. I was sitting in a steel sterile room like the ones that you see on TV or movies. I had my hands tied behind me, , and my water-bearers were gone. My ankles were tied in the way so I could walk, but not run. The only thing I noticed for certain was that Whisper and Robin weren't here.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down and, walking along the walls, looked at my surroundings closer. The walls were steel as I'd suspected, but there was one that seemed different. I stared at it and lightly kicked it. Then I kicked one of the other walls. I was never as good at detective work as Whisper and Robin were, but I could tell that that wall was not steel. It was most likely a window so I couldn't see the observers, but they could see me. It was slightly unnerving realizing the fact that there were probably people behind this wall studying me like a science experiment.

I decided to speak. "Excuse me," I said, "I'd like to know where my comrades are." There was no answer, but then Martian Manhunter walked in through a door next to the spy wall. I didn't expect him to say anything, so when he started walking away with the door wide open, I just followed him. The hall way was grey with green carpets. He led me to another room that was dimly lit. In it were Flash, Green Arrow, and Aquaman facing a wall with a window on it. Martian Manhunter joined them. There was also a tall black haired man wearing a formal black suit and top hat. He also had a mustache. Zatara. I told myself.

"Damon!" I heard the exclamation. I only knew one person with that voice. Behind the two other heroes, Whisper was there with his sweatshirt gone and his hands and ankles tied similarly to mine. I smirked. There must've been too many weapons to deal with in Whisper's sweatshirt for them to handle individually so they just got rid of the whole thing. Despite his cheerful voice, his face was serious, maybe even angry.

I greeted him with a nod. One brother was safe, now where was the other? "Where I is Sora?" I asked him.

His face turned completely emotionless. He turned to the window the heroes had been facing. That was all the explanation I needed. I looked through it. Through the window was an identical room to mine, but this time there was a table. On one side was Batman and the other Robin. Robin had his hands tied behind the chair and his ankles to the stools of it. He was currently giving the man across from him the death glare. "Are you glaring at me?" Batman asked in an emotionless voice. No response.

"I just need you to answer some questions for me," he continued, "You see, I believe you were the one who hacked my cameras. Where did you learn this?" Still no response. Batman's eyes narrowed. "Are you just being stubborn and not answering me?" Robin turned away. Batman stood up. "Zatara," he said. Said magician sighed.

"I didn't want it to come to this," he muttered as he exited the room only to enter the one with Robin and Batman. He rose his hands. "Rewsna ruo snoitseuq!" It had to be a spell because as he said it, Zatara's voice had gained an echo like quality, like he'd shouted it into a canyon. The effect was instantaneous. Robin immediately stiffened, and rocked slightly back and forth like he was fighting something. Then he turned around so nobody could see his face and coughs started racking his body. I stared at the scene infuriated. It was bad enough they were interrogating us, but now they were torturing? It wasn't even Robin's fault he couldn't answer, not that he'd answer if he could. I could tell Whisper felt the same because he was as stiff as a board and his fists kept curling and uncurling like they wanted to punch someone, something.

The worst part about it was the Justice League probably thought it was an act. Though, I could see an expression of guilt on Flash's and Zatara's faces while Green Arrow looked like he'd rather be someplace else. Batman's, Aquaman's, and Martian Manhunter's faces were impassive. It made me want to just burst right out of here, grab Robin, find our weapons if possible, and get out of here.

Then I saw something stain the monochromatic floor. It was a dark redish-brown and hit the floor with a splat. It was blood.

I had to physically restrain Whisper with Flash. He was muttering Earth curses with a look of pure murderous intent written on his face. "Bob," I told him, "Sora will be fine, he's gotten worse."

"Besides," Flash added on, "Your friend looks like he's stopped coughing." That made Whisper stop. The speedster sighed. "I wish Bats didn't have to take such extreme measures just to take information out of kids." Then he walked back. I noticed that Whisper had flinched several times as Flash had spoken.

When I looked back into the room, I noticed that Flash was right. Robin had stopped shaking was now just sitting there with his spine twisted so we couldn't see his face. Batman looked at the frozen boy. "Are you ready now?" I inwardly bristled. This…_man…_was a threat to us. He was too smart and too emotionless for us to escape easily. There was no response from Robin. Then, before anyone could move, Robin had twisted out of the bonds tied to the chair and flew through the window, crashing the class with a sound that reminded me of ice. His face was blank. I decided to be Whisper for a moment and cursed. We didn't know much about him, but Robin had been an assassin at one point. One of the things he had to train was to never answer questions if captured and always take extreme measures in order to escape. I think breaking through glass counts as extreme.

Whisper ran in Robin's path so he crashed into him. Whisper then lifted his hands so they were somewhat a motion as to hug. Robin tensed like he was ready to bolt anytime. Instead of harming him like Robin had probably thought Whisper was going to do, he started whispering in Robin's ear. "Sor, it's okay, snap out of it," Slowly, Robin went back to normal. Then his face hardened. He went for Whisper's hands and cleanly bit through the rope. My eyes widened. There were many things I didn't know about him. Robin then did the same for me and then to his feet. Magically conjuring two knives, he through them at us to use as weapons. I grinned. Robin just had too many hiding places for his weapons for the JL to find.

I cut through the rope on my feet. Robin jumped to Flash doing a front handspring and kicked his head as his feet came down. That was one hero currently unconscious. I understood Robin's logic. Flash was the only one who had a chance of catching up to us. We then ran down the halls busting open doors for our supplies. When we found them, the first thing Robin grabbed was the computer. He hacked a blueprint of the area and we followed him. Doors were starting to close, and the whole scenario reminded me of the Cadmus one. Then we reached a dead end. Robin pointed at it though. _This is just a door. There is more behind it._

Whisper took off his collar and started vibrating. "That's not a good idea," I warned him knowing what he planned to do. He ignored me and, looking like a blur, he ran for the door. At first, it seemed to work and he vanished from view. Then he was thrown out with, holding his nose. Robin laughed at him.

"Dang," he said his voice muffled, "I was hoping it'd work this time."

"You're a speedster?" came the cry. We looked behind us and to greatest luck, not, we found the members of the JL right behind us. Flash was staring at Whisper with wide eyes.

Whisper's face hardened. "So?" he said coldly, "What of it?"

Flash ignored Whisper, turning to Batman. "Did you see that! This changes everything, Bats!"

"He is not going to replace your lost nephew." Flash winced.

"I know that," he said with a calmer voice, "But this kid has superspeed! I feel obligated to teach him what I know."

"I'm right here you know!" Whisper yelled. Flash ran over to him and he recoiled.

"Kid, do you realize what power you have?" he asked him. Whisper pushed him away.

"I know how to control my speed," he said scowling. "Sorry to disappoint, but I already know a lot about superspeed so scat and leave us be."

The speedster grinned. "Nope, can't do that," Then Batman threw something down and everything clouded with black.

* * *

I sighed, my hands covering my face. We were sitting on a couch in front of a flat screen TV, but it wasn't on. It was also completely silent. I still didn't fully understand why we'd done what we'd done. It was still so confusing.

_FLASHBACK_

"No," Whisper deadpanned. "Can we go now?"

"No," Batman said, "We want to know who you three are and why you taunted us with the video."

Whisper shrugged, "I don't know, ask Robin. Don't actually ask him." He added before Batman could bring in Robin. "I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier. Now can we go?"

"No," Batman repeated, "You taunted the Justice League and you are fugitives. We plan on bringing you to your families and making you pay for any crimes you've done. Also, you obviously know how to fight, so how do you know how to?" Whisper remained silent. Since we'd gotten captured again, Batman had decided to skip Robin and go to Whisper for interrogating. It was a good thing Whisper was a natural liar if the time called for it.

"You can start by telling us you names. Sora, Bob, and Damon are lies." Whisper looked at me. I don't know how, but he'd always had higher human level of sight and could probably see through the window. I nodded. He sighed.

"We aren't going to tell you our actual old names," Whisper said, "But you can call me Whisper, the dude you made cough up blood Robin, and the one Aquaman calls 'Kaldur' Tempest."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "You're denying you original identities and forming new ones."

Whisper shrugged. "You can call it that. It's worked for seven years. Personally, I like to refer it to as 'shedding an old skin for a new.'" I grinned. Trust Whisper to say a metaphor as he's being interrogated by a power higher than the police.

"Fine, 'Whisper'" Whisper glared at Batman, but didn't interrupt. "That wasn't so hard. Now tell us who your parents are."

"No, I'm not going back."

"Why not?"

Whisper's green eyes looked down. "I'm not welcomed at my house."

Batman decided to leave it at that. "Okay, then what about Robin."

"What about him?"

"Why can't he speak?"

The teen shrugged nonchalantly. "Dunno, he never takes off his mask, and Tempest and I won't intrude on his privacy. Rob's like a younger brother. We know secrets, but not the deeper ones."

"Then tell me what you know about him."

Whisper slammed him palms on the table. At least, they didn't tie us up again. "Dude, why can't you just accept the fact that I won't tell you everything? I bet even you have secrets!" He sat down; staring at the table like his gaze would burn a hole through it. Next to me, Robin stared at Whisper and Batman with a calm expression, but I could tell you wanted to bolt by his tensing leg muscles. I wanted to leave too, but I knew we were at a disadvantage. Especially now that the JL members were watching us with more care.

"It's obvious that you and your companions have no intention of telling us anything more, so I will give you an offer."

Whisper looked warily at the dark-clad hero. "What kind of offer?"

"I am willing to let you be together and not return to your original homes as well as not pay for you crimes in a juvenile center as long you and your friends stay at Mt. Justice and perform missions we give you. The sound-proof has been locked off so you may speak with your friends to talk it over." I knew Whisper and Robin as well as they knew me. We knew the answer to this.

"Hmmmm," Whisper feigned thinking, "Okay, we'll do it, but on one condition,"

"Are you negotiating with me?"

"Maybe, here's my condition. We'll do it, but we want Artemis, Miss Martian, and Superboy with us and we'll be a team."

"Why do you want this?"

Whisper sighed. "Why do I want this?" he pondered out loud. "Maybe it's because I sympathize the squirts for having inconsiderate mentors." He shrugged. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. If you send us to juvie we'll just escape so doing that is pointless. The outcome will be the same if you send us back to our homes. So, the only reasonable option is to agree to our terms."

The hero stared at Whisper like he was an enigma. I guess not many people challenge 'the Batman.' He stood up and walked out the door, his cape whipping around him. "I will consider," was all he said. "Until then, make your selves comfortable,"

_END FLASHBACK_

I groaned again. I didn't want to babysit kids, but at least we didn't have to deal with the law. "How long do you think it'll take until we can go back to our usual ways?" Whisper asked in a quiet voice. Robin shrugged. He sighed. "At least we're safe, kind of,"

Whisper was right. We were safe from eh law for the time being, but we were in danger of our secrets. Whisper and I didn't want to face our pasts right now. The thing is fate is cruel. We have no choice, but to endure.

* * *

**A/N: I'm very pleased with how this came out. I am fully aware that it is much shorter and crappier that my other chapters, but considering how I struggle with creating my own chapters, I'm happy. I'm sorry about the length.**

**Any feedback besides the kind out of the mouth is accepted, even flames.**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	6. Drop-Zone

**A/N: June 1, 2012**

**This will have two A/N beginnings. The reason? When I wrote this chapter, I'd unknowingly broken a rule on FF and they banned me from updating until like, May 31 9:50 pm PTM. And, since Pacific time is like 3 hours later than Eastern... Yeah, I had to wait until Friday. I'm very sorry that I broke a rule and will try to avoid that again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A/N: May 29, 2012**

… **I have no idea what to say. There's only one review answer I want to do.**

_**Browniesarethebest: **_**Ooh! You like Robin!WHUMPAGE too?**

**Yeah, that's it.**

**Oh! If you're into anti-bullying and stuff like that then I suggest songs by Superchick. My favorite songs by that bank are "Stand in the Rain," "Hey Hey," "One More," and "Hold."**

…**.So,….. Have you seen my new avatar on my profile?**

* * *

ROBIN

"So, basically," Whisper started, perched on the balls of his feet and eating an apple, "You want us to go Santa Prisca because they're some big-shot producers of an illegal super steroid called Venom. That right in simpler terms?" Presently, we were in the training room. The training room was big and dark, but a part had a light up platform where one could put up holographic pictures or spar. This was also used to explaining missions to us. Artemis, Miss Martian, Superboy, Tempest, Whisper, and I were in front of him. The three official sidekicks were standing alert as well as Tempest was. On the other hand Whisper was eating, completely relaxed and nonchalant while I sat in a meditative form, but had my eyes open, carefully watching Batman.

The holographs disappeared. "In simpler terms, yes." Batman agreed.

"Cool," Whisper said, "Espionage! I like it! Just let me run over to subway and grab a foot long subway- or maybe two- or maybe a dozen." And, then he was gone with Artemis chasing after him. Ever since we'd joined the sidekicks, Whisper had been more open with his powers. I was happy for him. I think spending time with more kids his age is good for him.

"He looks so much happier," Tempest whispered, voicing my own thoughts. His statement was immediately confirmed with a laugh in the distance. I looked back at Batman. He was looking right at me.

"Robin, I trust you to keep them on task," and then he was gone. I was confused. Batman, _the _Batman, trusted me? Maybe he thought I was mature enough to handle it, I don't know. If he wanted maturity, he should've looked at Tempest.

"When are we leaving?" Superboy asked.

"As soon as Whisper and Artemis return," Tempest replied. It was still weird talking to other people using our real names. Maybe this team was good for us.

I stood up and walked towards the exit. Then, a black streak ran towards me, but I caught it by the hood momentarily choking Whisper. I dropped him and he fell to the ground coughing. "Dude!" he choked out, "I can't breathe now thanks to you!" I stepped over him and kept walking. Whisper then let out a yelp and started running again soon followed by a murderous Artemis.

"Don't kill him, Artemis!" Miss Martian yelled and chased after them. I ignored their antics. We were going to Santa Prisca.

* * *

Whisper cowered in his seat as Artemis glared daggers at him. I knew he wasn't actually scared of the archer, but he was a prankster. It was in his nature to make everything he could funny. It was dark outside and we were surrounded by tropical dark foliage.

We were in Miss Martian's Bio-ship. The inside was lit up with lights and had a lavender blue tint to everything. The walls were mostly made of tinted windows and in a C shape were seats. In the center though were three seats with Miss Martian in the center with her palms over electric blue spheres. She'd said that she was telepathically controlling the Bio-ship and could alter it at will. Then she'd demonstrated it by forming more seats so all of us could fit and then made seat belts strap us in. The seatbelts were a little unnerving because it reminded me of how she could kill us with those seatbelts.

Note to self: Everyone is fully physically capable of killing each other.

We then reached drop-zone B. A rope dropped down from the ceiling and we clipped them to our belts. The sidekicks activated their stealth-tech. When I'd first heard of this 'stealth-tech' I thought I'd die of the sheer stupidity. Everyone had been staring at me like I'd gone Joker on them and their expressions didn't help me stop laughing like a maniac. I admit, it was only the sidekicks who'd looked at me stupidly. The thing is, if you were a true expert at stealth then it wouldn't matter what you were wearing. Also, Whisper, Tempest, and I were already so 'stealthed up' we didn't have to have the stealth-tech. Don't ask me about 'stealthed up.' Whisper made it up.

Actually, the only person who had stealth-tech truly was Artemis. Miss Martian just made her clothing black, but Superboy was the same. "Never too late to put on the stealth-tech," Artemis had told him.

He said "No capes, no tights, just offence,"

And, Miss Martian said, "It totally works for you," He looked at her. "As in you can do totally good work in those clothes." She gave him a thumbs up and when he looked away, she blushed and put up her hood. I guess Whisper was right when he'd told me we'd 'have a little SuperMartian.' Maybe Artemis was jealous because she'd snorted.

Anyway, the Bio-ship went into camouflage mode and Tempest dived into the ocean at our first drop-zone. The idea of him going first was so he could dispatch heat and motion sensors. I was confident he'd accomplish it easily. We went ahead and then dropped onto the grass in a small forest clearing. Supey made it a very flashy entrance by creating a crater. "Knew I didn't need a line," was all he said. Whatever floats your boat, Supes. After that we contacted Tempest. "Head for the factory," he responded in a professional voice, "I'll rendezvous ASAP" Then his com-link turned off. I looked at a map leading to it on my computer and memorized it. Factory it is.

Everything was dark, and animal sounds cried out. I was worried Artemis would be a liability, no offence to her. It's just that she was the only human here that didn't have the training in the shadows as much as Whisper, Tempest and I. Miss Martian and Superboy should be fine being aliens and having better eyesight and all that crap. Once I think about it, Artemis and I are the only pure humans. The others are aliens in some form and Whisper is a speedster with unnaturally good eyesight. I think it might be on par with an owl's or higher. Back to the point, I trained my eyes to have better night-vision than one would without training, so that left Artemis.

Anyway, Supey and I heard it first. It was faint, something you wouldn't worry about normally. Just a stick crack. But we were looking for drug sellers. Something as little as a cracking sound could mean an enemy made a stupid mistake and stepped on a stick. Whisper heard it too, and chased after the sound. I hear a tumbling, crashing, then swears sound out. I grin. I bet Whisper tripped over something, rolled down a hill, and then swore because he got himself in trouble.

I ran ahead of them and towards Whisper. He was sitting and rubbing his head. "Hey Rob," he said good naturedly. "Guess what?" I rolled my eyes. "I kinda got us in the middle of a two armed squads of bozos dispute." I looked around. To my left there was a squad of blue clothed 'bozos' and to my right red clothed ones. I sighed. "Heh eh, sorry, Rob," Whisper said sheepishly.

I just withdrew several kunai and ran to one of the 'bozos.' I smashed the hilt of one on the bozo's skulls sending him down and then threw it in another's direction of the throat in one motion. Then I went in a handstand and used both feet to kick another's face. Three down in less than thirty seconds. I ran over to one of the corpses and retrieved my kunai, wiping off the blood and putting it away. I hate wasting good weapons.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a voice said. It belonged to a big Caucasian man with a tight black tank top and simple dark pants. His face, though, was covered in a weird black mask that was white around the face. At first glance I didn't like him.

"Rob, get down!" Whisper shouted. I ducked and Superboy flew over me and crashed into the man. The Team had arrived. I stood up and jumped, sending a flying kick to several bozos in a row so they fell like dominoes. When I turned around I found all the bozos were down and the man was being held by Supey. I was also in time to see Tempest appear and shock the crap out of a grunt.

"This was a covert mission," he said glaring at Whisper who grinned sheepishy. I tied up the remaining bozos and sat down. Next to a tree trunk, I opened a Microsoft Word Document (You gotta love Word.) and wrote "Uniforms: Kobra cult" I needed to make the messages as brief as possible.

"I don't think Batman knew Kobra was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Artemis said.

"Eh, Kobra probably tossed those blue goons out," Whisper said, uncaring, "Rob, you have any food?" I tossed him a fruit from the forest. "Thanks,"

"So we can go home now?" Artemis said, "We found out Kobra was in charge of the operation,"

I typed in the computer. "No, Kobra, hoarding Venom. Find y" Whisper laughed. "You sound like a kid when you typed!" I cut off his laughing with a swift kick in the chest.

"You only know half the story, _ninos_," a laugh interrupted. It was that man. "I can let you in the factory via my own secret passage."

Miss Martian concentrated her mind on him. "There is a secret entrance," she confirmed, "But he's also hiding something." Her eyes glowed.

"Ah, ah, ah, _chica,_" he said, "Bane is not that easy." I zoned out after that. I knew his game. I'd played his game. He was going to pretend to be on our side, but then back-stab us when he gets what he wants. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Bingo he just confirmed what I was thinking.

* * *

We presently stood on a hidden cliff that showed a landing for helicopters or airplanes. Presently, one was in the zone and several large boxes were piled next to it being loaded in. One could just guess it was filled with Venom. "Look at all the Venom!" Artemis gasped, voicing my thoughts.

"We must determine the buyer," Tempest said. Towards the side, Bane walked over to a blocked mine entrance, picked up the boulder with a grunt, and gestured to the opening.

"Answers are this way, _ninos, chica,_" he said. What was with him calling us that? It was annoying. Oh, yeah, he's Spanish, duh. The mine shaft was dark-duh again!- with dimly lit lanterns, and we had to trust this 'Bane' dude down it. I didn't like trusting him though. We soon exited through a metal door and entered at tall warehouse looking building filled with containers, maroon pipes, a concrete floor, and a second floor made up of metal grates. I looked around and instantly spotted what looked like a control center. I turned to Whisper who nodded and I vanished. Behind me I could hear Bane saying "What is that fool doing?" in a hissed annoyed voice and the others explaining.

"You see, El Luchador…" his voice trailed off. I smirked. Whisper would nickname him. I ran to the control center, bonked the henchman on the head with the butt of a kunai, and sat at the computer. Out the window, I saw shipments of the Venom being carried on trucks. I felt my hair move slightly and I knew Whisper had joined me. I raised my hand in greeting. Then I resumed my typing. On the screen chemical formulas started appearing. Whisper used his magically produced hot-dog to point at the screen. "This is Venom," his voice sounded muffled with the food and he was gesturing to the red formula. Then a blue DNA pattern opened. "This," pause and munch, "is the Blockbuster crap the Desmond dude drank at Cadmus that made him go 'monster-time' with his tendons sticking out." I love it how he says this so calmly while eating. He is so much like me he makes me proud.

"If they mix the two things together, they get something three times as strong as the original Venom and permanent." Whisper shrugged. "My guess is that Cadmus and Kobra are working together and Kobra is using his cult thing to make the formulas while Cadmus is being a supplier. Either way, Cadmus and Kobra are in one group whether they're aware of it or not, and or the supplier is also the buyer." He finished his dog and activated his com-link and then sighed. "Eh, someone blocked radio contact. We have to find the others." He looked around out the window. "Shouldn't be too hard… Right?"

I heard gun-fires, an animalistic roar, and the shatter of glass. My conclusion: someone got fired or attacked a grunt, causing him/her to fire their weapon, followed by a test subject of the Kobra Venom attacking through a window. I'm good at guessing these things. We followed the sounds and ran on the grates. Then we looked down from one just in time to see Miss Martian, in camouflage, get blown by a bomb into one of the containers. Superboy was attacking head-on, and Tempest was playing defensive with a water-bearer activated into a shield, but occasional shots of compressed water flying out the center like a bullet towards the enemy.

Did I mention the enemy included a tall humanoid creature with tan skin, bulging muscles, short, dirty, orange-like hair with sideburns, and gashes in it revealing its tendons? It had to be a test subject for the Kobra Venom. I mean, seriously, I think the tan skin and revealed tendons gave it away.

I looked at Whisper and Tempest. Both caught my gaze and nodded. I blinked in thanks, which was a weird thing to do, and ran out the broken window. I wanted to capture whoever was in charge of Kobra which was most likely a guy named Kobra. I ran all the way through the night until I was next to the helicopter. In front of me was a tall pale man wearing a red and black cloak with his hood up and black trousers. To my knowledge, he wore no shirt.

Creep.

Next to him was a girl just a few inches shorter than him. The girl looked like she'd just gone a punk on her dad with a weird Mohawk-like style to her hair that involved the orange locks being flipped to one side so that it went over the right side of her face facing her. Her eyes were brown and outlined in black. She wore only a light blue shirt that looked like a sports bra- don't ask how I know what one looks like, just go with it- a black armor or clothing that started at her collarbone up her neck and also went along the tops of her arms. Her pants were a simple, tight, black.

The two stared at me like I'd dropped from the moon. Totally impossible for a human like me, but definitely cool. I think they expected me to make some sort of comment, but that was also impossible for me. The list of things I can't do depresses me sometimes.

"Aren't you going to say something, boy?" I knew instantly I didn't like this man. Not because he called me boy or that he wore no shirt, it was his voice. This Kobra dude had a deep emotionless voice that practically screamed "Look at me! I'm the bad guy!"

When I didn't respond Kobra dismissed me. "Take care of him Shimmer, I have no time for pests," Okay, boy I can understand, but wasn't 'pest' just a little low?

Shimmer, which was the girl's name, ran at me and yelled when she tried to kick me. Note how I said 'tried.' I could tell she was an experienced fighter, but I also knew she was nowhere near my level of expertise. I jumped up, dodging her and giving me room for a counter attack.

_'Robin, hurry back now!' _Woah, voices in my head. Was I hallucinating Tempest's voice? _'Robin, we can't go full strength with the Team still here, we need you back.'_ Nope, definitely not a hallucination. I didn't know what it was, but I kicked Shimmer in the chest stunning her and vanished. Not literally, but I disappeared from Nasties 1 and 2 for the moment. The voices, now that I think about it, had to be from Miss Martian. Didn't Martians have telepathic powers or something? It'd make sense she could communicate via the mind. I arrived just in time for Tempest's voice to say "_We need to retreat-" _Retreat? Retreat! We could handle these guys! Then I remembered, we had to act weaker than we were. The reminder made me swear several profanities. "_Whisper, clear a path,"_

_ "On it," _said speedster answered. Obliging, he ran through some goons, knocking them down. We then ran back to the mine shaft. Superboy was the last in line and after throwing Ugly, the Venom victim, he ran over to us and slammed the door in place. Unfortunately, Ugly recovered quickly and slammed the door out of the way briefly later with gunshots raining after us.

"Superboy-!" Tempest started, but before he could finish, bombs exploded on the support beams thanks to _moi._ So instead of saying what he'd planned on, he finished with a "Good job Robin," The support beams fell with a crash and rocks tumbled causing dust clouds to fly up along with more crashes. All in all, it was very noisy. Now, at least, Ugly and goons can't follow us. Artemis reached in her utility belt and retrieved a neon green glow stick illuminating us all green. It reminded me of Gama radiation from the world of the Avengers.

"Now what?" she asked.

I shrugged and let the others answer. "Maybe we should first get out?" Miss Martian suggested. Genius! I would've never thought of that! Artemis's question was stupid and shouldn't have had to be asked.

So, we continued on our glorious way down the dark mine shaft and soon light could be seen. Along with the light, was Bane with a smirk on his face and bombs in his fist. He then let them drop. "Halt, _ninos,_" he said. Oh, he was putting his game in action. "I'm feeling… explosive." I casually looked up at the roof of the entrance. Tempest and Whisper had put on fake expressions of shock, anger, and surprise, but the other three had real ones. On the roof were bombs like the one he'd dropped. I wonder if I should've told the others that they were there when I'd first seen them…

Artemis let out some vulgar words; some I think were even in Vietnamese. "You betrayed us?" she spat angrily.

"What about 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?'" Miss Martian asked in a desperate tone of voice. She was more upset and hurt than angry like Artemis was.

"I want my factory back," he explained in his creepy voice, "So I created a scenario where you'd either defeat my enemies or die. But, you failed so now you will die. The Justice League will then come here for revenge and deal with them theirselves."

Tempest smirked, unfazed by Bane's speech. "The thing is, we've been expecting betrayal from you."

"We have?" the three other sidekicks said simultaneously. "Oh, yes, we have!" Whisper rolled his eyes and Tempest continued on.

"You see, Artemis, Miss Martian, and Superboy are part of the Justice League and the girls have been trained by the JL, but Whisper, Robin and I have not. In fact, we have next to no connections with them."

"Your point?"

The smirk grew. This was one of the rare evil Tempest moments. "The point is, we don't care if we kill," a lie but we will kill, "and we've dealt with traitors like you." As soon as the last word left his mouth, Whisper rushed at Bane knocking him over with a frightening speed. The man grunted and flew back at least 15 feet. Dust flew up and Bane's body left a groove in the dirt. I ran after him and grabbed his arm. Using strength that no one ever expected from me, I threw him over my head and his back hit a tree trunk with a thud. Then a tied up. Once I was done and clapped nonexistent dirt off my hands.

"Are you going back now?" Whisper said.

* * *

The helicopter was just taking off when we arrived. Kobra, Shimmer, and some goons were watching it leave. Just ready to board the helicopter was a man with blond hair and a grey mask that covered him entirely. Earlier, Tempest had caught Whisper and I up saying that the blond man was Sportsmaster and he was the buyer and supplier of the Kobra Venom. I think that Sportsmaster was more like a carrier, a deliverer. Not in charge of the shipments. He was just a subordinate. Probably one of those people that would abandon his boss if he'd gotten in trouble as well. Also, Artemis had visibly tensed, but no one, but myself, seemed to notice. It was quite amusing how blind they could all be.

The big fight for this little adventure started with the frontal attack: Whisper. The speedster ran at the goons knocking them down. Goons tried firing at him, but missing leaving sharp booms in the air, flashes of light, and the smell of smoke. Kobra tried to get Sportsmaster to the helicopter, but Superboy appeared, breaking it. "Go again?" he taunted Ugly with a smirk. Ugly roared and launched itself at the clone, but a stream of fast moving water knocking it down just before it reached him. "Sorry, not today," Superboy told it. Then, Sportsmaster appeared, firing red beams at him. Slowly, Superboy was drwn back. Miss Martian, in camouflage mode, tried to ward the man away, but he was trained to sense things not normally seen. A useful technique.

Anyway, Miss Martian got shot down and then was forced in a headlock. I could hear her grunts. I probably should help considering I'm the only person not fighting at the moment, but I want to see how well they fight. Teamwork was essential and I want to see if they can actually use it. Artemis proved to me that at least she could use it as well as Superboy. Artemis by shooting several arrows at Sportsmaster's arm that was around Miss Martian's neck. The arrows didn't explode like they usually did, Artemis was smart enough to realize that the Martian was too close to Sportsmaster to be unaffected by the bombs if she'd shot them. No one noticed a stray green arrow flying in the helicopter with a square attached to it.

The arrows shot out a green foam and crept to his fingers freezing them still. "Wha?" Sportsmaster said in surprise. Then he laughed. "Artemis," I heard him whisper and he let the Martian out. Note how I said 'let.' He purposely let him go. He could've squeezed the arm to his chest and killed Miss Martian, but he didn't. I looked around. Everyone was in action. Everyone but me. Then I saw Kobra. He was just standing there with Shimmer by one of the doors. It really got me mad.

I threw a bolas. It wrapped around Shimmer taking her down with a grunt. I then jumped at Kobra with a flying kick. Apparently, he'd underestimated me because I was able to break through his block. I knew he had more strength though. I pushed off him with the leg I'd kicked him with and used the other for a roundhouse to his head. This time Kobra used more strength in his block and even grabbed my ankle to throw me down. I gasped as my back hit the ground and scowled. I can't let this idiot defeat me! At least without a good reason. I used the leg he didn't have and kicked at his fingers. I knew he'd been affected because I'd heard several cracks in the direction of his fingers. Frowning Kobra let my leg go with an expression that was half disgust and half uncaring.

"A god has no time to fight a boy. That would be unfitting," he said. Oh, so he thought himself as a god? I don't believe in 'gods' as in plural. That's a load of crap, excuse my language. Since I couldn't speak, I had to be satisfied with flipping the middle finger at him. This ensured another frown from 'God.' I laughed. "Boy, you are blasphemy." I shrugged, uncaring. Words can hurt, but calling me blasphemy won't hurt. I mean, what sort of insult is blasphemy unless you're extremely religious, no offense to you religious people.

"But, you are a nuisance," Why thank you. "So, I must terminate you." Then he threw off his cloak dramatically. I was right, he wore no shirt. Instead he stood out in the night, half in his birthday suit with gold armbands around his wrists and forearms, a gold belt, and gold leg bands, whatever they're called. The funniest part was he was bald. Suddenly, I heard a boom and an explosion lit the sky. I grinned. Artemis had succeeded in placing a bomb in the helicopter and Miss Martian had succeeded in activated it. I watched it with glee as it fell slowly in the sky to the factory like a desperate dying bird. Wow, I have a morbid imagination. Also, Bane would be so mad now!

Kobra looked at it and I saw a flicker of emotion: annoyance. Were we that much of pests? I noticed that everyone was finishing their fights and heading towards me. If they hadn't, I'd be able to finish Baldie and bring him in but no. I couldn't because then there was a chance the JL would lock me up for being 'dangerously strong.' He looked around. "I am plagued by mosquitoes!" he said in a somewhat infuriated tone of voice. I wanted to say some smart remark back, but that is also impossible for me. Kobra saw he was outnumbered. "Another time then," he said and then vanished much like I do. I let him though. Maybe we'd meet again and we could beat each other up on better terms.

So we stood there for a moment in the night of a tropical forest with a building burning behind us. It was oddly peaceful.

WHISPER

"All I did was take out henchies," I complained. Since Rob had gone fighting Kobra, I'd taken the liberty of explaining what had happened while he was gone. "It was boring. Supey and Miss M were attacking Sportsmaster with Artemis kind of helping. She was fighting henchies as well." Rob nodded with his eyes closed. He was sitting with his legs crossed and eyes closed. It was the next day and the other sidekicks were dressed as civilians. Tempest, Robin, and I didn't really have normal clothes. We were in the briefing room, and it felt _deva vu _because we were in the same positions as earlier today.

I let Tempest tell him what he did. "I was taking care of the Venom victim." He said all formal. I'd just called him Ugly and knowing Rob, he did too. "After blasting him with water, I'd shocked him using the water as a conductor." Rob nodded again. Then Bats appeared. I winced. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"A simple recon mission, observe and report," he started in his cold voice, "You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your _many _mistakes." He was now walking. A written report. Eh, I'll pass. Don't you love how he emphasized 'many?' "Until then good job," Yeah, yeah, we get it- wait, what? Good job! I could see everyone else had the same reaction. Well, everyone except Rob. I bet the little ninja knew that we'd get praised from the start. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy," Batman continued, "How you adjust to the unseen is what determines success." He walked over to Robin. "Well, done." Then he left.

I ran in front of everyone. "Well, we all did great everyone, but I have one question, well more like Rob's question, but still a question." Everyone looked at me. I turned to Miss Martian. "Miss M, what was that 'voice in head' thingie?"

"Oh!" she said. "You can call me M'gann."

"M'gann?" I repeated.

"Yeah," she explained, "It's my real name so you don't have to refer to me as Miss Martian all the time. And, the voice was my mind-link. It allows people of my choosing to communicate using the mind." I nodded in understanding and gestured for her to activate it. She closed her eyes and then I heard _'Is everyone online?' _The same words I'd heard previously. Everyone answered with a yes. I looked at Robin. He hadn't responded. Then I heard it.

_'Would this be a way for me to talk finally? What is it doesn't work? That'll be awful in future missions-' _It was a boy's voice! I wanted to cry. I'd never head Rob's voice before and now I could. I thought it'd never happen. _'Everyone's staring at me… I don't know how to respond! How does this work? I didn't- Hey!' _I interrupted him with a crushing hug. Rob swore. _'Stupid, Whisper! I swear one day-' _he said some very imaginative forms of torture that made us all wince.

"Dude!" I said wiping tears. I was CRYING? "You can talk now!" The thoughts stopped and Rob gave me a bewildered face.

'_Oh, God, Whisp is crying…. Why the heck is he crying?' _ I grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Think of something-anything!- and I'll try to guess it!"

'_Fine, Whisp wants me to think something, I will-' _Now that I thin kabout it, that was a stupid thing to ask of him. I think the sidekicks are now emotionally and mentally scarred for life.

"My ears are bleeding…" Artemis whimpered. I was right. Man, I never knew Rob knew so many words… I winced and repeated what he'd said aloud causing another flinch.

'_Oh, my, God, I can talk, I can talk-' _he started repeating that and sank to his knees, tears streaming down causing a fresh batch for me. I could see Tempest crying silently and the others looking too.

I crouched down to his level. "Yes, you can, Rob. Yes you can."

* * *

**A/N: A nice ending if I do say so myself. Sorry it took so long. I kept having to search for ten minutes for the episode so I could describe the factory and whatnot because the synopsis on the wiki site got confusing.**

**Review?**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	7. Schooled

**A/N: June 3, 2012**

_**Browniesarethebest: **_**To my knowledge, I think the rule I broke was the one about not writing websites in stories without Fanfiction's permission. I wrote that I was using the wiki YJ site as a resource and I think that's why they banned me.**

_**Dextra2: **_**Just to clear things up, yes Robin was mute before. **

_**Eaglator23: **_**Bolas, huh? Thanks.**

_**Obsessive Fangirl 101: **_**You cried? That makes me happy! Well, I'm not happy you're crying, I'm happy my story was good enough to make you cry. **

** First off, a book will be mentioned in the beginning. I don't own that book. It's called ****The Fire ****by James Patterson and the excerpt is from page 103 in it. I also keep forgetting to mention this: I OWN NOTHING IN THIS STORY. THE ONLY THINGS I OWN ARE THE NAME 'WHISPER' AND THEIR MADE UP PASTS, BUT I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THEM. Whew, that's done. It you're worried about copyright, I have the disclaimer for all my stories on my profile page.**

* * *

TEMPEST

_ "'I said _come here_!' Pearce explodes. He wraps his black cloak tightly around him as the wind coming off the water ripples his fair hair, and for the first time I notice goose bumps on my own arms." _

"Hey, Tempest, what book are you reading?" I look up from my book and see Miss- M'gann's smiling green face as she knelt down. I close it and present her the cover.

"Whisper recommended this series a couple years ago," I respond. "Being on the run, I haven't been able to read, so I'm finally reading the final book in the series, The Fire." I don't usually read this genre, but Whisper had insisted and even gotten Robin to do his most extreme begging face that would make Batman's will wilt.

"Oh," she peered at it and shuddered.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh!" she took a step back. "I'm sorry it's just Martians and fire don't really mix well…" I nodded my head in understanding and also to show I wasn't offended. Being Atlantian, I used to live in water so I can understand the fear of fire. "Anyway," M'gann continued, "Black Canary with Uncle J'onn, Martian Manhunter you call him, just arrived and wants us to head to the training room for, well, training." I placed my book down and followed her to the room. I was greeted by a waiting Artemis at a holographic game board. I guess M'gann and her were playing a game. Black Canary and Martian Manhunter stood watching the sparring platform. Sparring were Robin and Whisper, Whisper with his collar on. The two were excellent actors. They made every move look perfect, but harder moves to perform, they faked they had difficulty. Also, the two were perspiring and panting, but they were really tired.

"Hey, Tempest!" Whisper greeted me with a raised hand.

"I don't think that is such a good idea, Whisper," I told him calmly. Black Canary looked at me.

"What do you-?" he was interrupted by a flying kick to his chest. He tumbled off the platform with an 'oof.' Robin landed at the edge with a faint movement in his mask, showing he was smirking. Stumbling up, Whisper grumbled, "Man, that hurt,"

"Don't say I didn't warn you." I told him, fighting back a smirk myself. Understanding dawned upon Black Canary. Whisper stopped. Robin kicked him. In a real fight, the enemy (Robin) would've killed him. Too bad, in a real fight, Whisper wouldn't act so lenient, and neither would Robin.

"Are you two done now?" Black Canary asked them as Robinhe was a blond woman with a good figure and a sleevless black top covered by a dark jacket, dark pants, and boots. "As you know, my name is Black Canary-" she was interrupted by the Zeta Beam. _Designation: Superboy B04_

Said person stalked out the Zeta Beam with a grumpy expression on his face. "Hey, Superboy! How was your visit to Met-"

"Fine," Superboy interrupted M'gann. And, then continued on his way.

"Stick around," Black Canary told the retreated teen, "Class is in session." She walked in the center of the sparring platform. "I consider it an honor training you. Everything I've learned from my own mentors," she winced in pain as she took off her jack revealing a bandage, "and my own bruises will be taught to you."

"What happened?" M'gann asked a worried expression on her face.

"The job," she answered, "Now, combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting." I doubt Robin will like that. He likes to act and react when the situation calls for it. "I'll need a sparring partner," I looked around. No one seemed to be volunteering, but Whisper and Robin seemed not to care.

"Fine," Artemis said and she stalked up to Black Canary. The older heroine smirked and swung a punch at the archer. Artemis blocked it and ducked under Black Canary's arm, aiming with the other arm for a punch as well. BC took the hand Artemis had blocked and grabbed Artemis's oncoming one. Then she moved out of the way, pulling her forward where she was originally. Once Artemis was right in front of her, BC kicked her legs out. The archer landed on her back, winded. The words Artemis: Fail appeared above her head. Over in the peanut gallery, M'gann winced.

"Good, Artemis, but did anyone see what she did wrong?" Black Canary asked, helping the archer up. No one answered. "She allowed me to dictate-"

"Oh, please," Superboy said. "With my powers the battle is always on my terms. I'm a living weapon. And, this is a waste of my time." Black Canary smiled. She was probably going to try to attack him.

"Prove it," Then she turned around. Robin was behind her. He nodded and she stepped back in understanding.

"You want me to fight _Robin_?" Superboy nearly laughed. Robin's eyes narrowed.

"Oooh, this is going to be good! I bet Rob's always wanted to fight a Krypton albeit a clone." Whisper whispered in excitement. Robin started with a roundhouse kick Superboy's way. The clone blocked it, but was slid back a foot or two from recoil. Robin then sent his other foot behind the clone aiming for the back of his knee. Superboy jumped to dodge it, but Robin had been expecting that and used his previous foot and got a successful kick to his head. The clone growled and swung in Robin's direction vainly. Robin just jumped on his shoulders with his calves balanced on his shoulders. He boxed Superboy's ears with his legs and held tight. Then jumping forward, Robin forced Superboy over his head. The clone landed on his back in a similar fashion to Artemis: winded. Robin grinned through his mask and clapped nonexistent dust off his hands.

Whisper gave him a thumbs up and ran over to him. "Great job, Rob!" he congratulated the ninja. Black Canary stared at said boy with wide eyes. Was she impressed? Because that was only scraping Robin's capabilities. He was best at fighting for the kill. Then it got interesting.

Black Canary walked over to Superboy. She saw his expression and said, "Good, you're angry. Now channel that anger-" There was a roar and Superboy charged at Robin. Robin pushed Whisper out of the way and blocked Superboys onslaught. His body was trembling with the effort with he had a taunting look on his face. _'Come at me, bro!' _Robin said via mind-link. He didn't use it often. Actually, that was the first time he'd used it since yesterday when he'd discovered it. Black Canary and Martian Manhunter looked surprised that Robin was using a mind-link.

"He's mute," I explained to them since I was the one nearest to them.

"Does he have a death wish!"Artemis shouted, "He's only human and he's practically asking a _Krypton, _angry one at that, to fight him!" Then she turned to Whisper and my nonchalant faces. "Don't you two even care about him! He is your friend right?"

Whisper gave her the most serious expression Artemis would probably ever see on his face. "Of course we care about him."

"Then why aren't you stopping him?"

Whisper raised his hands as if to elaborate and then set them down with a sigh. I took that as a sign to explain myself. "We care about Robin. We also have complete confidence in his fighting abilities and his ability to get through situations like these." I looked at the two dark haired boys. "To be frank with you Artemis, I think Robin is thinking this as a training exercise." Artemis looked at me with wide eyes, but said nothing else.

Suddenly, right in front of Robin and Superboy a holographic screen appeared. Through it was Batman's face. "Batman to the Cave: five hours ago a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying and then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents." The attacker was a pale colored android just wearing pants and had red eyes and orange hair. Arrow called in reinforcements which turned disastrous as it gained more and more powers. In the end, it took eight leaguers to defeat and dismantle to android."

"The technology bears the symbol of Professor Ivo, but he is to be believed dead." Martian Manhunter said.

"We are sending two trucks full of the androids parts to STAR Labs in two separate cities for analysis of the android." A map showed up featuring arrows pointing to Boston and Manhattan. "There will be four additional decoy trucks in case Ivo or anyone tries to recover it. You will split into undercover teams to guard to two real trucks."

"Oh, yeah!" Whisper exclaimed, "Roadtrip!"

"So now we take out your trash?" Superboy said in an angry voice.

"Did you have something better to do?" Batman responded.

I looked at the beeping machine in my hand. "Coordinates received, we're on our way," And then we took off.

* * *

In Litchfield Country, we wait in the forest on motorcycles as the boxes are loaded. Robin taps my arm and I look in his direction just in time to see Superman look away. I look back at Robin for an explanation and he just gestures with his head in Superboy's direction. The clone looked disappointed and angry. That got me thinking: maybe Superman hasn't accepted Superboy yet? Robin nodded as if reading my thoughts and confirming them.

The trucks started leaving. Miss Martian, Whisper and I went left while Superboy, Artemis, and Robin went right. I was a little concerned about how they were going to communicate, but I'm sure Robin will think of something. It was evening and the sunset was pleasant. I could see mountains in the distance with a clear view because instead of forest there was a prairie-like field in front of them.

"Do you think Superboy's okay?" Miss Martian asked, "I swear I wasn't reading his mind, but anger flowed off him in waves."

"Eh, just leave the dude alone for a while. Don't crowd or push him," Whisper advised, "From what I've been seeing, Superboy's got some daddy issues, but that's just between the three of us and Rob. Rob probably already knows."

"Speaking of Robin," Miss Martian said, "Why doesn't he use the mind-link? He can communicate using it and everything so why not?"

"I think he only wants to use it for life-or-death situations." I said, "He doesn't want to burden you with the trouble of keeping it up for so long." I wasn't going to say the real reason Robin didn't use it as well as the one I'd mentioned.

"Well," Whisper added on and studied his handlebars, thinking about his words, "Rob's very…. secretive."

"Secretive?" the Martian echoed, "What do you mean?"

"Rob likes to have his own space," the speedster explained, "He likes to keep his secrets and his thoughts to himself. He likes to be in control of himself." Whisper looked up at the pale raspberry sky. "I think he's afraid he'll lose that control if he had the mind-link. He's afraid that everyone will learn what he's thinking and that the mind-link works both ways."

Miss Martian looked at her handlebars. "Oh, I never looked at it that way," Suddenly, Whisper's head jerked sharply to the wheat fields we'd just started passing.

"Hey, you got it covered here?" he asked.

I nodded. "Great," then he drove into the fields ignoring Miss Martian's cry of "Wait! Where are you going?" A moment late there were monkey sounds, like actual monkeys, and simian looking, black, glowing neon, green robots flew out of the stalks via jets. Several robot corpses clattered and skid across the pavement where Whisper had defeated them. The remaining ones latched themselves onto the truck.

Through com-link, I spoke to Robin, Superboy, and Artemis, "Robin, Superboy, Artemis, our truck's under attack!"

"Same with ours!" Artemis responded immediately. In the distance I heard the sound of the bikes turning to battle-mode and roaring from Superboy. I turned off the link and focused on my truck. Withdrawing a water-bearer, I formed a boomerang with a strand of water still in my hand and threw it. It slapped several robots off the truck, the strand keeping it with me. In the corner of my eye, I saw some robots attack Whisper and Miss Martian's motorcycles. Abandoning them, the two ran for the truck. Whisper ran along the side, walking on the wall every now and then when the robots got on. Gunshots rained upwards and I knew that the robots had made an opening in the roof. Miss Martian flew up and used telekinesis to remove them.

The truck swerved dangerously and I ignored the impulse to join the two on the truck. I needed to defend the side. Whisper made it to the roof and didn't flinch upon seeing a multi-armed Miss Martian. "No!" I shouted. In the distance I saw several robots flying off with the cargo box containing the parts. Whisper growled and jumped on the robots and landed on the flying box. He quickly dispatched the robots carrying it, but that's when gravity took action. Whisper along with the box started falling. New robots flew up and turned it over so now the side Whisper had been on was facing the ground.

"Whisper!" Miss Martian shouted out as said speedster yelped. I started moving the motorcycle at top speed towards him, but I knew in my gut I wouldn't make it. Green lasers zoomed out of the robots' eyes and they hit Whisper head-on. He reacted with a scream, his eyes clenched in pain.

Then they dropped the box.

It hit the ground with a crash. The box remained unharmed though, and the robots carried it away with their little high-pitched, annoying, monkey laughs. I ran to Whisper. He was unconscious, his body tense, but he looked unharmed except probably a few broken or sprained bones. I activated the com-link. "Artemis, our box has been compromised, and we have one down. What about-?"

"Yes," she interrupted me with a tired voice, "ours has too, as well as Superboy,"

A murmur was emitted from Whisper, "Rrr," was all I could make out.

"What about Robin?"

"He's fine," Artemis replied, "I think he was actually enjoying this, until the monkey's got on his nerves, the little brat." I grinned. They were all fine.

"Follow Superboy and send us coordinates." I told her.

There was a pause. "Who got hurt?" she asked in a worried voice.

I sighed. "Whisper," Cue Vietnamese swears. Then she hung up.

"Aren't you going to call Superboy?" Miss Martian asked me.

"Call Superboy?" a wavering voice said. "He'd probably just throw the com away." The Martian looked at Whisper with astonishment. He was struggling to get up. "No, we don't call Supey." He winced as he stood up and swore. "I cracked a rib or two…" he muttered.

Miss Martian snapped out of it. "Whisper!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing? You're injured!"

"I'll be fine," he said, "Besides, I don't want a dead Robin,"

"Why do you say that?" Miss Martian asked.

The speedster grinned, "Rob can't talk. Knowing Arty, she'll get annoyed with him and kick his little birdie guts out of him. So, in order to save my friend, I should act as translator and head over there." He looked at me for permission. He wouldn't do it even if it's save his life without my consent.

I nodded. "Go for it," His grin grew.

"Be back in a flash," and then he was gone.

ROBIN

"Robin," Artemis said with much restraint, "I can't understand you," I rolled my eyes. "Hey! Don't you roll your eyes at me, you brat!" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. I hate being mute sometimes.

"Hey, Rob! What's up? Arty," A voice yelled out. I perked up. I knew that voice. It was Whisper! Sure enough the speedster was running towards them.

Artemis's eyes widened. "Whisper?" she said in disbelief. I remembered the com-link conversation she'd had. Whisper had been the one injured and Artemis had sounded worried about him. Was Artemis developing feelings for Whisper? I wanted to laugh. It was believable, just it's going to be funny watching them flir- ehem, fight and be completely oblivious to one another's feelings. Whisper reached us and stopped panting heavily. "What the heck are you doing here!" Artemis shrieked at him. "Weren't you injured?"

"Ow," Whisper winced, "Way to blast my eardrums. Yes, I was injured, but speedsters heal quickly so I'm fine-ow!" I jabbed him in the rubs. "Rob!" he yelled accusingly. I pointed a finger at him. What a liar. He may be somewhat healed, but in complete honesty, his ribs were probably bruised now. "Well, I'm staying here!" he said firmly upon seeing our expressions. Simultaneously, Artemis and I look at each other. We decided it was best to just not argue with him.

I walked to a robot and connected it to my holographic computer. A screen of encrypted codes started scrolling down and I immediately got by them with no trouble. 'The robots are called MONQIs,'I told them, via Microsoft Word.

Artemis snorted, "How original,"

Ignoring her, I went on, 'It turns out that the parts had GPS signals in them and that's how the MONQIs found them without attacking the decoy trucks. I can track where the parts are headed…'I hummed as I looked for the parts.

"Well?" Whisper asked impatiently.

'Patience is virtue you grasshopper,' I told them, 'Hmmm…'

"What do you mean by 'Hmmm…?" Whisper yelled, "This is a very serious matter! Sometimes I regret you being able to talk now." We both looked at each other and burst out laughing. A serious matter indeed!

'The parts are heading to Gotham. Let's go,' I grabbed Whisper's hood and shoved him unceremoniously onto my bike. I gave Whisper a look that said "You are riding with me, you're injured so no complaints!", and we drove off.

Artemis reached for her com-link and listened in it for a moment. "Tempest just called," she said, "He said that Miss Martian can't track Ivo so they're currently following Superboy's com-link," I nodded. This robot that could copy the abilities had the powers of several Justice League members. I had a bad feeling we were going to face it.

* * *

It was silent and the sun was almost completely set. It was too quiet for my liking. "Yo, Supey!" Whisper shouted out randomly. I shot him an incredulous look. He mouthed, Superboy contacted me. Whisper then said, "Uhhuh, yep, Dude, you got totally beat! Alright, Artemis and Rob are with me, Bye," with intervals in between where Superboy had been talking. Artemis and I looked at him for an explanation. "Long story, short: Superboy boarded a train with the parts, and met a creepy little dude who I confirmed as Ivo. He then battled Amazo, which is the android's name, and got his butt sorely kicked. Presently, though, he's still fighting, but had gotten thrown into Gotham Academy." I checked the GPS, and sure enough, the signal said it was at Gotham Academy. Artemis tensed. Was Gotham Academy her school? It had to be recent; Artemis doesn't seem the 'rich kid' type. I suppose that's kind of a good thing. Since she probably isn't filthy rich, she was probably at Gotham Academy of a scholarship. One given by a certain billionaire bat…

"So I told him that I was heading over." Whisper continued, "And, that you two were with me. He didn't seem too happy you were there, Rob. Personally, I feel honored that he trusts me to contact him and tell he needs help."

Anyway, we entered the school just in time to hear a loud crash. Following the sound, we entered a room that was probably the gym. On the bleachers sat a scrawny man in a brown vest and dress pants. He had frizzy faded orange hair, and was surrounded by MONQIs. Superboy came running in from the hall and charged the android we'd seen during briefing. I sighed and ran to it. It was metal, obviously, so I couldn't use anything small weapon-wise and physical attacks by a human wouldn't have much effect. I slammed my palm into the jaw of it and then kicked at the same spot in one motion. The head jerked back, but went back.

_Access: Black Canary_

Uh oh.

A piecing scream emitted from Amazo's mouth. The sound was so powerful, I could practically see the air molecule vibrations, and I could feel the sound like a full body hit. My body started trembling with the effort of keeping up and I knew if I didn't move I'd get forced down. Then it stopped and something picked me up and carried me away. "You," a voice said unhappily. I looked up and met the cobalt eyes of Superboy. I grinned cheekily. The clone scowled. I guess he still remembered how I beat him.

"We don't have time for a rival spat!" Artemis yelled. Wait, Supes and I were rivals? I didn't know this! Why doesn't anyone tell me this?

The clone looked at me. "Fine, I'm still mad at you, but thanks for coming." I climbed out of his arms and thought about the android's skin. That was the reason why I'd kicked it even though I knew it'd be fruitless to try. It was to see how thick it was. I didn't have an arsenal of weapons like Tempest, but I did have a good number. Unfortunately, most were blades. I drew my tanto. It was the only weapon I had on me that was thick enough to withstand and pierce Amazo's skin. I ran to it and swung my sword. It hit the android, but as soon as the blade bit its skin _Access: Martian Manhunter _ran out, his body turned transparent, and my sword went right through it.

_Access: Superman_ Amazo swung several punches with such precision and strength; I only dodged with not even a second and inch it got lucky. Reeling, I instinctively pulled my arm to my chest. Great, now I have a cracked or bruised rib. Whisper ran in front of it, smacking its head. The distraction allowed me to find a temporary hiding place. The head flew to the side and I swore I heard metal crack. _Access: Flash _Whisper swore.

The android ran at a speed that went par with Whisper's. The speedster growled in frustration and ran ahead of it with a burst of speed. Then he ran head-on to the android. Whisper pressed and started vibrating until he looked like a blur of jumbled colors. Finally, Amazo gave away and faltered allowing Whisper to run past it. The android's skin was a blistering red with the friction caused. The android took several steps back in recoil and then the place went BOOM. Several explosions blew up underneath and around Amazo. Another went off on the ceiling causing a metal beam to fall on it. When the smoke cleared, the android's parts looked crushed in some places, but he wasn't as hurt as he could've been. Artemis ran over to another hiding place, which was where I was. She cursed. "I was sure that's at least do some damage!" she muttered angrily. It must've used Martian Manhunter's intangibility.

I got up. Break time's over, I thought to myself. I grabbed several bombs and attached them to some kunai. Sticking the kunai in Amazo, they blew up. I then made X shaped slashes with my tanto at it with lightning fast speed. Its arm reached out to grab me, but I back flipped out of the way. _Access: Superman _and glowing red eyes was the only warning I had of laser beams shooting at me. I ducked down and threw a shuriken its way. It stuck itself in it.

Whisper was a blur as he ran to the android. He walked up its body and kicked its jaw up. Then, the speedster tried kicked his legs out beneath it. There was a clang as his leg hit the android's, and Whisper winced. Amazo grabbed Whisper and pulled him in a bear-hug. Whisper's eyes widened and his breath came out as a hiss. His ribs!

Artemis yelled and shot an arrow at the android's unsuspecting head. _Access: Martian Manhunter_ His body turned translucent and Whisper slipped out. The speedster hadn't even touched the ground before he was a blur and was by our side in less than a second. Once he was with us, he started gasping for air.

Superboy roared and charged Amazo. _Access: Black Canary _The robot grabbed Superboy's arm and threw it over its head into the bleachers with a crash. "Access: Black Canary," he muttered.

"Ugh, yawn, normally Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle," Ivo said in a disappointed, bored voice, "but what's the point? You're all such poor copies of the originals." Cue MONQI laughter.

"So everyone says," Superboy said, "it makes me angry!" His voice ended with a roar, and he superjumped to Ivo. The scientist yelped and got out of the way just in time. "Wanna see me channel that anger!"

Whisper started laughing. "Either Supey's lost it, or he's finally learned!" he continued laughing until I biffed him on the head.

"Amazo, protect your master!" Ivo said in a panicked voice, "Priority: Alpha," Then he dodged Superboy again. It was actually quite funny. _Captain Atom _A yellow beam shot out of Amazo's hand, aimed at Superboy. Two MONQIs started to carry Ivo, but I kicked his back, and he tumbled to the ground. Before he hit it, Artemis shot and arrow. The arrow hooked onto his shirt and sent him flying another few feet. Whisper caught him and threw Ivo in the air. _Access: Superman _Amazo lifted his foot and slammed it into the ground. A rupture grew and extended towards me causing me to fly in the air. I experienced a feeling of weightlessness before Whisper caught me jarring my breath.

"You okay, Rob," he asked me quietly, and I nodded. He dropped me, and ran to Artemis who was in current possession of the Ivo ball. I threw another shuriken at Amazo. _Martian Manhunter _The shuriken flew threw his head, but Superboy jumped down and stuck his fist in his head just as he went back to normal and said _Superman. _There were some sparks and then another explosion. The robot fell to the ground with a heavy thud, and its head gone.

Whisper and I ran to it and started disassembling the parts. "He has no head!" Artemis said, "Why do you need to disassemble it?"

"Don't take any chances!" a deep voice said. The doors burst open, and Tempest and Miss Martian ran inside. I felt a wave of relief upon seeing Tempest. I don't like being separated from Tempest and Whisper.

"Te-e-e-e-e-e-empe-e-e-est!" Whisper cried out like a little kid. "I was so scared!" He ran over to the Atlantian and hugged him. Tempest gently pried the speedster off him.

Miss Martian flew over to Superboy. "Superboy, are you alright?" she asked.

He smiled, "I'm fine,"

I tapped Artemis's arm, and pointed at her then giving her a thumbs up followed by a shrug. She understood. "I'm fine as well," Then her eyes widened. "Where's Ivo?" I looked around. The scientist was gone.

* * *

I hate briefing. It takes too long, and I think it's a waste of time. We presentlhy stood in the briefing room, in the presence of Batman, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, and Red Tornado. "The Amazo android is in pieces again, safely being analyzed at the two separate STAR labs." Tempest reported. "But, Ivo escaped, and since he originated the tech, he arguably more dangerous."

"Professor Ivo will be a league priority," Black Canary said.

"But, we understand your mission went through other… complications." Martian Manhunter added.

Batman walked in front of us. "Complications come with the job. Your ability to handle them had impressed the league."

"The whole league?" Superboy asked with a hopeful expression on his face.

Batman turned to him. "Given time, yes. Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." Superboy smiled. "Of course, there's no shame in asking for help, that's why the league existis." Batman continued. "Because, there are some problems we can't handle individually." Everyone nodded. The mentors went to their respectable protégés and started dispersing. Tempest, Whisper, and I started heading to our rooms.

I was the last one to leave so I heard Superboy say, "I'm ready,"

"Good, because I'm here," Black Canary responded. I grinned. Superboy was learning slowly, but surely, that there are things, like Batman said, that one cannot accomplish alone.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, this story has officially become more popular than my last Young Justice story with 41 reviews and only 6 chapters. My last story was a fail with 34 reviews and 21 chapters. I'm thinking of redoing it… Should I?**

**Anyway, thanks so much! Also, I got over 100 visitors in the past 3 days! I'd appreciate it if I'd gotten more reviews considering the number of visitors, but beggars can't be choosers.**

** I know there was a lack of Artemis action and I'm sorry. Also, for the Tempest fans I'm sorry that I keep making his parts short. I just have always like Robin and Whisper more than him, no offence to him and his fans.**

**Feedback?**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	8. Infiltrator

**A/N: June 12, 2012**

**Okay, so I was doing some quick math and whatnot about how many chapters this story would probably be around. Actually, I did this a while ago; I just keep forgetting to tell you guys. Anyway, the estimated number of chapters…. 30! And, since Robin is my favorite character and most people just love whumpage to him, I'm thinking of writing a separate story explaining his entire past and I'll hint a little here and there during this story and say something mind-blowing at the end that'll kinda wrap it up, but leave an questions at the end. The second story will probably be rated T because I'm gonna go into detail and have some gruesomeness on Robin's past.**

** Sorry, if you don't really like Robin and this will ruin the story. That's another reason why it should be two separate stories now that I think about it…**

_**Whitewolfmoon: **_**I think I mentioned this already, but I don't really want a Beta. I think if I make a mistake that it's my fault and I should have it known. After all, we're not perfect. Thanks for the advice though, I have no sarcasm intended!**

_**Obsessive Fangirl 101: **_**I appreciate the praise, and I hate to burst your bubble, but I was banned so I got a head start on the next chapter. That's why I was able to update so soon. Don't expect so quick updates every time! Sorry.**

_**random obsession: **_**I know, don't you love it when you find an excellent story! I'm glad you found my story great!**

_** Dextra2: **_**I have something wonderfully gruesome planned out so if you like Robin!WHUMPAGE you'll like it. **

_**bluecrystalz7774:**_** Go get your hole ready 'cause you're going to have to crawl in it… I'm joking. Whisper is Wally. I'm one of those people who like making OCs, but don't like reading stories about them. I'm weird like that. Anyway, you'll find why he's called 'Whisper' in this chapter. Lucky you!**

_** Cryptvo keeper: ….. Tacos? Anyway, you're my 50**__**th**__** reviewer! Thanks for reviewing! (Though I don't understand how I'll get a taco…)**_

**Now, remember the fourth chapter with Speedy and Whisper's little fangirlyness? Well I'll give you a hint, there's going to be a few scentences of that here.**

* * *

THIRD POV

It was a beautiful late summer day with hot, but not too hot weather, and the scent of salt in the air. A gentle breeze blew every now and then. That breeze was disturbed by a gust of wind that swept up all the sand on the beach, and turned it into a sandstorm. Just as the 'sandstorm' had settled down a bit, another started up. A boy with raven locks wore dark swimming trunks. He looked 13 and despite the heat was wearing a facemask that covered the bottom half of his face leaving brown eyes exposed. Beside him was a tall teenager that looked 18. He was, for a lack of better words, darker skinned, and wore navy swimming trunks. Wrapped around his arms were thick black lines. His hair was pale so it looked silver as was his eyes. Both were sitting calmly in front of the sandstorm, and were unfazed by it. It fact, they looked amused.

"How can you two sit there?" a girl's voice ran out. The owner was Caucasian, was wearing a green one-piece, with grey eyes, and long blond hair tied in a pony-tail.

The darker skinned boy's eyes held amusement. "We're watching him run, it's actually quite funny. You should join us, Artemis."

Artemis stepped back as the sandstorms started up again. They started up every two minutes or so. "No thanks, Tempest. How long have they been doing this?"

Tempest looked at the ocean he was barely able to see through the tan grains. "Long enough, for M'gann and Superboy to quite waiting and for you to finally convince your mother to let you come."

"So roughly, several hours,"

"Yes,"

The raven haired boy stood up and started walking back to the mountain. "Robin, where are you going?" Artemis asked. He mimed his hand out and holding something to his lips and swallowing. Artemis looked at Tempest for a translation.

"He's getting a drink." Tempest interpreted, "You might as well get a large pitcher; it's going to be a while." Robin nodded. Artemis sat next to the remaining boy, changing her mind about not joining them.

"Shouldn't you stop him?" she asked, "I mean it's been several hours now. They both have to eat if they've kept it up for a while."

Tempest sighed. "He can go on longer, but I guess I should stop them." He looked to the left and waited. Then he stood up. Just as the first sandstorm was occurring, he lifted his foot up chest-high. There was an oof and a cloud of test flew up as something tumbled. The second sandstorm stopped.

"Hey, thanks, kid!" It said. If Tempest was bothered by the name he was given, he didn't show it. The second 'sandstorm' was in fact a tall man in a bright crimson full-body spandex. The spandex only revealed the bottom of his face. On his temples were lightning bolts. It was Central City's hero, Flash.

Flash's stomach growled, and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, it's just that kid could run!" The sand settled (Finally in Artemis's opinion.) and the first 'sandstorm' was revealed to be a teen who looked around 15, had dirty blond hair, freckles, and green eyes.He was wearing dark swimming trunks and a pale brown wifebeater.

"Whisper," Tempest told the boy, "you could've saved a lot of energy if you'd just knocked him out."

"Yeah, yeah," Whisper grumbled ignoring Flash's sputters of protest. Then he looked up and saw Flash. He swore and started running again. Immediately, a pale arm snapped out in front of his neck. Whisper let out a choking sound and stopped mid run for breath. The arm retreated and offered a drink to Tempest and Flash.

"Thank you, Robin," Tempest said, accepting the drink. Flash did as well, but he had a confused expression like, "Why the heck is this kid so calm about knocking the breath out of his own friends? Also, why's he giving us drinks after it!"

It was like Tempest had read the speedster's mind. "Whisper can survive that," the Atlantian reassured him. Whisper caught his breath and tried to run again. Robin sighed and put down the tray he'd carried. He reached for the bolas **(A/N: Thanks **_**Eaglator23!) **_that he'd brought down and threw it at Whisper. The bolo worked and wrapped around the fleeing boy with a yelp.

He swore. "I hate you Rob!" Said boy just laughed.

"Why were you running anyway?" Artemis asked kneeling down so they were eye-level.

"Oh, you're here too, Arty?"

"Oh, shut up and answer the question."

Whisper looked at the other speedster. "He wants me to go to the most horrid place on Earth!"

"Hell?" Artemis guessed.

"Home?"

Robin shrugged.

"No," Whisper said, "But both are agreeably horrible places. He wants me to go," he gulped and paused for dramatic effect, "to school!" Robin rolled his eyes. Whisper glared at them stubbornly since he couldn't cross his arms. "I'm not going," he stated, "I've survived without school and I can survive longer."

"Well, you need to learn more! Your education level is low probably and you need to learn more so you can live and get a job!"

"I don't need one of your jobs! I've survived just fine!"

"And, how long have you survived for?"

"Uh, that's classified."

Flash sighed. "How would I make you go?" he asked, tiredly.

An evil grin split across Whisper's face. "We can play hide-and-seek," he said.

Flash frowned. "Aren't we a little young to be playing that."

"Oh, no," the grin grew and the older speedster stepped back in slight fright, "This version is different. This time powers are allowed, and if you find the other, you have to tag him. Also, the person hiding can change his position."

Flash thought about it: he'd find Whisper easily and quickly and he was faster than the younger speedster, but there was something wrong… Something important for him to know… Never mind, it probably wasn't important. "I accept," he said.

"Good," then Whisper disappeared. Unlike when a normal speedster ran and there was an effect such as bursts of wind or something breaking, nothing had moved when he'd run, it was like he'd been teleported. Flash was surprised. He swore, and took off. He had a speedster to find.

* * *

It was like _déjà vu. _The same warm and sunny with the same two boys, only with a girl now and drinks, looking at the ocean. There were no more sandstorms either. A red blur ran up in front of them. "Have you seen-?" Flash started panting only for the three sitting to shake their heads. He cursed and took off again.

"Why hasn't Flash been able to find Whisper yet?" Artemis asked, "The facts don't match up. Flash is faster than Whisper so he should be able to find him before Whisper finds a new hiding place."

Tempest sighed. "There's a reason his name is Whisper. The reason just hasn't been revealed to the Team yet because he was purposely not being his namesake."

"Don't keep me in suspense, tell me!"

There was a faint breeze, but Artemis paid no attention to it. That was until a voice said, "So you want to know why I chose the name 'Whisper?'" Artemis nearly jumped several feet. Before them was Whisper.

"When did you get there?" Artemis asked shocked, "You weren't there a moment ago!"

Whisper rubbed his head in mock thought. "Well, let's see, I just got here actually."

Robin smacked his head. The speedster rubbed it. "Ow, ow, fine I'll tell her." Then his eyes widened, but not in fright or shock. "I'd love to, but I can't." Then he took off. Artemis's eyes widened. The sand hadn't moved, neither had the wind. A gust blew her hair in the face.

Flash opened his mouth to speak, but Tempest beat him to it. "He went that way," he said pointing where Whisper had gone. The red-clad speedster waved his thanks and took off. The Atlantian turned to Artemis. " Whisper's called what he is because of his ability to run. For Flash, have you noticed there's usually an effect, like glass breaking when he runs by it a moment later, a gust of wind, of dirt, dust, or sand flying up?" Artemis nodded. Robin licked a Popsicle. "Have you noticed for Whisper there's no effect?" Artemis nodded again. Robin snapped the Popsicle stick that had had a Popsicle on it before it'd gone to the ninja's stomach.

"But what does that-?" Understanding dawned upon the archer. Robin offered Tempest a Popsicle, who accepted. "So, Whisper's name, comes from the fact that he can run at over supersonic speeds without any effect to the surrounding environment? He's basically like a ninja speedster?" Robin frowned.

"No," Tempest said, "Whisper is not a ninja, that's Robin's job." Said bird sighed in relief. He wasn't being replaced. "Think of it like an assassin. Assassins are quiet, stealthy, but powerful. That's Whisper,"

"He defies science," Artemis breathed. "Now, I'm no science specialist, but I know that Newton's Third Law states that for every action, there is an opposite equal reaction. For Whisper, there is no reaction. How is this possible?"

Tempest shrugged. "I don't know, Whisper's wondered that for years."

WHISPER

Colors were a blur as I ran by them. The wind was in my face, but it never affected my eyes for some reason. Whatever, maybe I had good eyes. I looked behind me. There was no sign- oh, wait! There was: a dot of red in the horizon. I stopped, skidding a little. My eyes narrowed. I still couldn't get that down, but I was considerable better. I climbed up a tree and hid in the shadows of the branches. I watched as Flash stopped perfectly- curse your perfection in superspeed!- and examine the skid marks. That was one- and the only one- good thing about the skid marks. I could purposely leave a trail saying "Hey! A speedster had stopped here!"

Flash looked around with a look of concentration on his face. "Now where is he…" he murmured.

"I know what you're thinking," I said, jumping from the tree. Flash jumped, startled, and turned to me in surprise. "You're thinking 'Where is he? How is it that I haven't caught him yet?' Is that right?"

"No," Flash said. I raised an eyebrow. "I know why I can't catch you. I didn't notice it before, but over time I finally figured it out." He took a step to me, and I took a step back. I didn't want him to touch me. He noticed it and stopped. "You have a gift in running," he explained, "You can defy the laws of science. To be specific for one, Newton's Third Law."

"For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction," I muttered.

He nodded in approval. "Right. For you though, it doesn't matter. When you run, there is no reaction. You just run without anything happening. The only reaction that I've noticed is a slight breeze, barely noticeable only to the careful touch. Am I right?"

I nodded, and looked at the sun's position. "We should head back," I said, "it's noon," I started walking back, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist.

"Now, about school…"

I thought about it. "How about, you design a test with other members of the league for the three of us to take." I said, "I mean, I was going easy on you. Robin and Tempest would've gone much harder on you guys. The three of us don't want to go to school. So, the test can be signed so we can prove that we don't need to go to school. You can make the tests any level and the number you make can be what you want as well. So," I stuck out my hand. "what do you say?"

Flash stared at my hand pondering my words. "Well, it's obvious you share great skill so catching you just for school is a waste of time in my opinion." He looked at me so we made eye-contact. "It's a deal,"

* * *

_Designation: Flash 04, Whisper B03 _The light went bright and we entered. It was now way past noon. I'd spent the afternoon with Flash. We'd traveled superspeed through several countries, getting food. Even though the conversation was friendly and the food was good, I knew that Flash was trying to pry open my metaphorical shell over my emotions. So I'd been tense the entire time. I could tell by the way he brushed on the subject of family and parents several times. To my surprise, on the sparing platform, Superboy and Robin were going at it. Robin had changed back to his normal clothes. For a moment I thought that Supes was trying to kill Robin for revenge, but then I saw the smirk and look on concentration on the clone's face. On the other hand Robin made his face look focused, but he was totally bored but alert.

I sat crossed legged on the floor in front of the platform. I looked up at Flash. "Watch this," I told him, "Robin's the best fighter I've ever seen. In a match with Superman VS. Robin I'd choose Robin." Flash raised an eyebrow- I could see the movement of his cowl- and looked with more attention at the two boys. Robin saw me and waved. I waved back.

"Superboy looks exhausted," Flash commented.

I shrugged. "They must be training,"

"Yeah, but Robin's fine,"

Another shrug, "Rob's been doing this longer than him."

Superboy moved a foot back in a better stance. "Ready?" he said. Robin gave him a 'no dip' look and nodded. Then he charged. It'd surprised me; Robin usually waited for his opponent to attack. Swift attacks from both arms and legs fired away at speed rivaling a speedster's to Superboy. The clone held his arms in an X shape as a block. Robin aimed all his attacks at the block, aiming for weak points like the elbows and wrists. To any normal person it'd seem he was aiming at random, but to me it was precise. Unfortunately, for Superboy this was breaking his block, and he was slowly being pushed backwards. The block faltered and Robin took the chance to strike the clone's chest. He let out a cough, and Robin pressed a pressure point; Superboy fainted.

"Impressive," Flash breathed. He tousled my hair. "Well, kid, I got to go, see ya," He ran off through the Zeta tube; I straightened my hair.

"My name's Whisper," I grumbled, and then ran off to change. Once I was done, I saw Robin sprawled out on the platform. "You wanna spar?" I asked him. The ninja's one eye cracked open, and he grunted getting up. "What did you do, let Supey use you as a punching bag?" He shrugged. _Maybe, maybe not, _I grinned. "Well, no mercy!" I charged him, and he blocked me with a prepared forearm. "I'm going to beat you this time.

_Designation: Green Arrow 08, Artemis B07_

"Hey, hey, hey!" Green Arrow yelled up at us, "Now killing each other!" We stopped and looked at each other in confusion.

Artemis facepalmed. "Green Arrow, these are Whisper and Robin; you know the two of the three boys that recently joined and helped form this team?" I waved my hand awkwardly. "The blond waving idiot is Whisper-" "Hey!" "- and the quiet dark one is Robin." He acknowledged the archers' presences with a nod.

"But, they were about to kill each other!"

"We were sparring," I interjected. He opened his mouth as if to argue more, but decided against it and just waved us off. Rob and I shrugged, and got ready to spar again, when the computer went off. Robin growled in frustration and stormed off the platform. _Call me when you actually want to spar,_

_Designation: Speedy B06_

"Computer, change that to 'Designation: Red Arrow B06'"

"Command accepted,"

I ran over to the red-clad archer and jumped on him. "Oh, Red Arrow!" I said in my fangirl voice, "Where have you been? I've missed you so much!"

Red Arrow recoiled. "What the- What are you doing here?"

I faced him. He'd changed him costume. Now, he wore a red and black one, left the hat, but kept the domino mask. "Didn't you hear?" I cocked my head and grinned. "We're all a team now! BTW: my name isn't Bob, it's Whisper! Sora is actually Robin and Damon is Tempest! It's our job to babysit-""Hey!" Artemis protested, "the sidekicks! But, you can join us as well. It's not so bad, I mean it seems like Tempest, Rob, and I do all the work anyway."

Green Arrow walked over with a raised eyebrow. "So you two have met?"

"Yeah," Red Arrow sighed, "This kid's a nuisance. He goes fangirl on me because he knows it annoys me." I suddenly jumped off him. He looked at me with relief. "I thought you'd stay on longer-" and was interrupted by a kick in the face.

I pointed at the landing ninja. "You see, that's why I got off. I have no intention of being kicked more times than needed." Unfortunately, that made Rob biff me. _Oh, grow up, _

A hand grabbed our scruffs. "Stop it you two, Red Arrow came here for a reason," Tempest let us go. I looked around; everyone else was now present including Batman and Red Tornado.

"Oh, hey!" I greeted him, "Where've you been?"

"I was reading," he replied tiredly, "Until you started trouble that it."

Red Arrow raised his fist threateningly at Rob; who looked at it nonchalantly. "What the heck was that for!" he asked.

Robin shrugged, and Tempest translated. "He just felt like it,"

"You brat…" the archer growled.

"Eh hem," Green Arrow interrupted, "What was the reason you came here, Roy?"

Red Arrow looked at the other archers with a disinterested look on his face. "Oh," he said dismissively, "it's you two. First off, it's Red Arrow; you know keep the whole identity thing undercover. Second," several holographic pictures came up. One of a blond woman wearing glasses and what looked like a lab coat- it was always a lab coat wasn't it?-, and the second a picture of what looked like a robot bug. "Recently, I rescued Dr. Roquette from the League of Shadows, but not before she completed their project they'd coerced her to do. The project is called the Fog. It's a nano-tech weapon cable of disintegrating anything in its path all the while collecting valuable data."

The pictures disappeared. "I concerned about the fact that with The Fog, the League of Shadows can use it for gaining access for tech and Intel." Red Arrow finished, crossing his arms.

I waved my arms dismissively. Artemis opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. "The League of Shadows?" I scoffed, "They'll probably use it for extortion, manipulation, or power broking. Something along the lines of those; that's how they work."

Batman's eyes narrowed at me. "And, how would you know how the League of Shadows works."

I met his gaze head-on. "Dude, I'm a fugitive. Sooner or later I'm going to encounter some people who are borderline crazy for 'World Domination! Mwaahahaha!' or something. They all tend to work the same way, and I've met some members. Of, course we beat them and skedaddled out of there."

There was silence as Batman and I had a staring contest. Then something hit our heads. Robin smirked at us and I scowled.

"Anyway," Red Arrow continued going to the actual mission, "I've hidden Roquette from the League of Shadows in a local computer lab. Presently she's working a virus to neutralize The Fog. I've decided to bring you guys in instead of doing it by myself."

"So you're leaving it for us to do?" Superboy asked with slight rage.

"You'd do it better than I would." Red Arrow responded.

"Roy, c'mon," Green Arrow said, "you don't have to go solo. We have a team now for you guys. You can joi-"

"I'll pass." Red Arrow started to leave, ignoring Green Arrow's calls. As he passed me he said, "Did you give her the note?"

I grinned. "Nope, but I will when you leave." He smirked and waved good-bye, at least to the three of us.

"What letter?" Miss Martian asked. I smirked and ran to my room and then back in less than a second. Then I handed Artemis a piece of paper.

"What is this?" the archer asked. I motioned opening it, and he obliged. She read it over and her face twisted into anger. "Red Arrow!" she yelled.

* * *

_'What I don't get is,'_ I said via mind-link, _'why you chased_ me!_ I mean, Red Arrow was the one who sent the letter!'_ We were in the computer lab Red Arrow had told us about. It had long tables with PC computers lined up on them, but only one was on. Miss Martian and Superboy had gone to guard the perimeter, but not before Miss Martian set up a mind-link with everyone. So now it was the archer, the Atlantian, the ninja, and the speedster all in one room filled with dangerous electrical appliances. Oh, joy.

_ 'You gave me the letter. Therefore, you took part in the scheme. Therefore, you are guilty as well.' _Artemis responded in a miffed voice.

_'That's a lot of therefore's.' _Robin said. Those five words were the first he'd said all day and were probably going to be the only words he'd say.

_'It's only been five minutes- not even!- and I'm already going insane.' _That was Dr. Roquette in case you were wondering.

_'Artemis, do you mind going with Miss Martian and Superboy to help guard to perimeter?' _Tempest asked.

_'Ah, ah, ah!' _I said as said archer walked away, _'Her name's 'Arty' not 'Artemis.'' _

_ 'I can still hear you!' _

_ 'You were meant to!' _I responded. Roquette groaned, and dropped her head on the desk in frustration.

Tempest walked over to the scientist, and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. _'Can you track The Fog so we can put the virus in it?'_

Roquette looked at him with relief. _'I feel you and I are the only sane one in here.'_

'_Hey! I resent that!' _Artemis and I said simultaneously.

'_I can,' _Roquette continued, _'But, I'll need to use the internet, but that'll reveal our location.'_

'_We'll protect you,' _Tempest promised. Roquette hesitated and then started. After a while she said she found it. Tempest nodded. _'Miss Martian,' _he said, _'please prepare the Bio-Ship of Superboy and Robin. Dr. Roquette has found The Fog.'_

'_She's coming,' _Miss Martian responded.

I sigh, bored. There was nothing to do! I stood up and started walking out the door. Maybe exploring/standing guard in the halls would distract me. -ooh look, a shadow! My head snapped in the direction of the shadow, but it was gone. I didn't believe it was gone though. I looked around, widening and narrowing my eyes a fraction in order for them to get used to the light. There it was! I slowly walked down the hall towards the direction of the shadow. There was nothing. I reached a door and opened it. There was a glowing pool, but otherwise it was empty. I hummed gently and started walking around the edge of the pool, but a foot away from them I wasn't stupid, near the bleachers. I heard something, and the corner of my mouth twitched in the urge to grin. I couldn't though, that'd give away that I knew where my enemy was. I sighed, feigning incompetence, and walked over to the edge of the pool. Instantly, I heard the nearly silent running steps, that only trained people could hear, behind me. Just as the enemy was about to strike, I twisted around and grabbed my attacker's write. This time I let my grin come out. "What's wrong, _Chesh_?" I asked in a mocking voice as the assassin struggled in my grip. "How'd you get caught by me so easily? Wow, you're losing your touch."

'Chesh' more formarly know as 'Cheshire' was a woman about five and a half feet. Her skin was olive and she had Vietnamese in her. Her hair was like a black lion's mane. She wore a dark green kimono with small tears and rips in it. The kimono was tied with a black sash at the waist and only reached her knees. After her knees, there were knee-high black boots. Covering arched eyebrows and sharp features, that gave her a dangerous angry look, was a full mask with a wide grin and red triangles on the edges. The design looked creepy, and the eye whole were tinted with an orange covering in order to retain the secrecy of her eye color. I know so much about Cheshire because we were… acquaintances to put it mildly.

"Ah, Whisper," she said in a forced calm voice. In honesty, her voice sounded like she was always plotting something. Those plots didn't always tend to be good. "How long has it been? Two, three years?"

My grip tightened. "Try four," my voice gained a sly cold tone that wasn't like the 'me' I let the Team see. Technically, I'd left three years ago, but I'd started distancing myself four years ago.

"Four years," she continued, "Look how much you've grown! You even went through puberty!"

I forced myself to let my grip go looser; I could see Cheshire's hand turning purple. "What are you doing here, Cheshire?"

Her eyes narrowed. "The real question is why _you're _here." Her voice lost its playfulness. "I thought you hated the Justice League, so why are you working for them."

I let out a humorless laugh. "I don't hate the Justice League. I only hate the Flash. You misheard me."

Cheshire cocked her head. "Did I? If I recall, you're exact words were, 'I hate the Justice League. They call themselves heroes, yet they can't even save their own family! If they can't do something as simple as that-'"

"Oh, shut up," I growled interrupting her. "You have no right to talk about family. Did you see your sister?" Cheshire's eyes darted outside and back to mine. "Do you feel jealous she escaped your dad? Do you feel happy at the same time that she did? At least she had the guts to. I mean, you're the big sister. You're supposed to be the stronger one-"

In a flash Cheshire had a sai in her free hand, and had pointed it against my throat. The cold metal gently hit my throat threateningly, and I felt a trickle of warm liquid fall down across it. Despite my blood falling, I remained unflinching. _'Whisper,' _I heard softly. It was Tempest. At this volume, only Robin and I would be able to hear him. _'Who are you engaging?'_

'_Chesh,'_ I replied.

There was a pause. _'Do you want me to come over?'_

'_No,' _The sai dug deeper. _'It'd seem suspicious if you'd left.'_

Another pause. _'Don't die,' _Then he was gone. That's our communication for serious moments. Isn't it lovely?

"Who were you talking to?" Cheshire asked, "Was it one of your _nakama_?"

"Hey, I thought you were Vietnamese, not Japanese."

"I know you're _đô__ng ch__í__._" **(A/N I tried my best to replicate the Vietnamese symbols using the available symbols I could find. I'm sorry if this is incorrect of you take any offence in the use of the languages. I'm sorry!)** She continued, switching the languages.

I froze. She caught my surprise and grinned. "Didn't think I'd know them, eh? Well, I do. They haven't told you many things. They have as many skeletons in their closets as you, Whisper. Even I don't know them all, but if you'd seen what I had you wouldn't like it."

"Liar," I breathed.

"It's the truth." The assassin said. In less than a second, I grabbed the sai and stabbed Cheshire's finger with it; the hand would be too messy, and I didn't want to explain why I had blood on me. Then I knee-ed her in her jaw. Spinning her around, I twisted her wrist so it wasn't in a natural position until I heard it snap. I watched without flinched as she let out a short hiss of pain and I heard her teeth gritting. Using my other hand, I put her in a head-lock and held tight until she was unconscious. Immediately, I let her go; I was determined to make my killing days over. I tied her to a raft, and set her into the pool, putting a weight in the center of it so she floated there. I made sure the hands and feet were bound together and behind her so her body was in a C shape, but her hands and feet were behind her back as the ends of it. That should keep her busy.

I sighed but now with exhaustion. Great, my past was 'catching up to me' as they say in books and anime shows. If it was for me, it was for Robin and Tempest as well. I stared at the moon out the window. We shouldn't have joined this team.

* * *

"Hey," I said. I didn't feel like using the mind-link.

Everyone was in the computer lab now. "Whisper!" Miss Martian said with relief, "You're alright! I didn't read your mind, but I felt that you were fighting someone."

My eyes narrowed and I glared daggers at the archer and Martian. The two girls stepped back. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again. "No offence but you guys are fired from guard duty," I said jokingly.

"Why?" Miss Martian asked. Her hands flew to her mouth. "Did someone get inside…?"

"Yeah, Cheshire," I said, "she's an assassin from The League of Shadows." I added on after some thought.

Roquette slammed her palms on either side of the keyboard. "You let her get away!"

I waved my hands. "Chill, I got Cheshire trapped and floating on a pool. But, she's sly, like a snake." I turned to Tempest. "We have to move Dr. Roquette to a new destination."

He nodded. "Understood," He turned on his com-link. "Robin, Superboy, what's your status?"

There was some static and some noises were heard; they sounded like an angry Superboy. "Fine! Be happy I can't understand you!" Robin probably rolled his eyes at the clone. "Don't roll your eyes at me! Ugh, Whisper or Tempest have to teach me how to understand you. You're opening up a Microsoft Word! Why didn't you do this before?" There was silence as he read what Robin typed. "Oh," More silence. "Okay, I will," Superboy sighed.

"Superboy," Tempest reminded him gently, "your report?"

"What? Oh, yeah that. We got to Philadelphia too late. By the time we got there, STAR Labs was destroyed. What was left was only the building's remains. Robin says he's willing to try to find The Fog again if Roquette can find it. He also says for Whisper to don't act stupid-" I nodded, but then the words sunk in and I shouted. "- and torment Artemis, also for Tempest not to overwork himself. We're willing to go after The Fog again if you'll allow."

Tempest nodded. "Good work, yes, definitely go for the next target." There was a click and the static was gone. After that, we hurry to a new place, but it was still another computer lab. I know, great hiding place, but it had internet and that's what mattered. It was awkward though. Why was it awkward? Well, it was just Artemis and I in the room watching over Roquette. Tempest and Miss Martian had gone for perimeter check. The only sound was the tapping of the keys on the keyboard. Not even thoughts were exchanged. Then there was a click and our com-links were on. "Artemis, Whisper!" came Tempest's voice. In the background I heard grunting and yelling. He must be in a fight. "Cheshire had backup. It's Black Spider and Hook. Cheshire has yet to make an appearance, so it is unknown if she has gotten out of Whisper's trap, whatever that may be." I grinned at his words. "Miss Martian is currently heading towards me for backup. There may be a chance Cheshire is coming towards Dr. Roquette, so be on guard."

"Stay safe, Tempest," I ordered him.

"Are you worried about me, Whisper?" he asked with in a slight mocking tone.

"No," I shuddered, "I'm worried about myself. If you die then I'll be chased for the rest of my life by an angry bird-ninja. Trust me, I once asked him how many torture methods he knew and he knew over 200. It was frightening; I had nightmares for the rest of the month on how descriptive he got."

I could practically feel Tempest smirk. "You know the same thing will happen to me if you die. See you soon Whisper." Then he was off. I sighed, and reached in my hoodie for several arrows. I didn't usually use them for the purpose they were made to be used for: shooting. Instead, I used them usually as spears, but that didn't mean I had bad aim.

Artemis saw them. "Do you even know how to shoot?" she asked me. She got her answer by an arrow whizzing centimeters by her face in less than ten seconds from her question.

"That answer your question?" I smirked.

Roquette groaned. "Stop flirting! Aren't you supposed to be on guard for assassins?"

"We aren't flirting!" we yell simultaneously. Then there was a faint sound. I immediately spun around and shot an arrow at the sky light. There wasn't a clatter as if it'd fallen or a thud as if it'd hit something. The only other logical choice was that someone had caught it. "What are you doing?" Artemis hissed at me.

My eyes were narrowed. "There's someone up there," I whispered. I jumped up on a desk, and peered into the skylight. I leaned in closer, and something whizzed past me. My hiar rustled and several strands were cut off, but I didn't even flinch. "Cheshire," I said clearly, "show yourself."

"Tut, tut, this is the second time you caught me, Whisper." The green-clad assassin jumped down. Roquette recoiled in horror at her mask, and Artemis's face turned chalk white.

"How do you know each other's names?" she whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, Arty, it's not like she's an infamous assassin of the infamous League of Shadows. Oh, did I mention that we just met and made introductions about an hour ago?" The archer growled at me, and Cheshire let out a laugh.

"'Arty?' That's a new one," she said between laughs, "It's a shame to hurt you kiddies, but it had to be done. Good this you kiddies aren't so innocent." Then she withdrew two sai, one for each hand, and started attacking. Her attacks were like a complicated dance to sound trite and a lack of better words. Each movement could've meant the last for us, but I noticed that Artemis was getting it easier. Maybe I was wrong; maybe the assassin still cared for her little sister. Then I saw Cheshire make a strike that Artemis couldn't see. Never mind, I take what I just said back. I pushed Artemis out of the way. Then I felt something cold cut through me at my side. Then pain started and grew. The area grew warm and wet. Dazed, I put my hand on the wound and held it up to my face. I smiled without humor. Blood, I got hit.

Cheshire looked at me with a surprised expression. I looked at her. "Looks like you finally got me, Chesh," I told her. Unfortunately for you, I wasn't using my superspeed then." I turned to Artemis. The archer was looking at me with a mixed expression of anger and shock. "Don't tell me this is your first time you've gotten sacrificed for and seen blood, Arty." Sighing I said regretfully, "Unfortunately for me though, Tempest has all the gauze. Oh, well, I'll have to just deal." I took off my collar, and before it hit the ground I was off leaving a trail of blood, literally my own blood, in my wake. I slowed just for Cheshire to see me before I slammed my elbow in the base of her throat. She let out a cough, and I pulled a Robin and gave her a Robin trained roundhouse kick. Just as I was about to uppercut her, she spun me around and threw me at Artemis. I yelped as I flew involuntarily into the archer.

When I turned around, Cheshire had already attacked Roquette, who got knocked to the ground on her stomach, and was standing over her with a sai pointed at the scientist's neck. "It was nice doing business with you, doctor," the assassin said. Roquette's head turned 180° while turning green at the same time. Soon 'Roquette' was Miss Martian.

I grinned and got off Artemis throwing a bolas I'd borrowed from Robin. Cheshire gasped and fell to the ground squirming in her bonds. "It's over Cheshire," Artemis said, "The truth is, Miss Martian was here all along. She was never going to help Tempest. The real Roquette is somewhere you won't find her before she's safe."

"You want to bet on that?" she said. In a flash, she was out of her bonds and threw the bolas at me. I hit the ground without making a noise, and felt Cheshire sit on top of me. The cold metal of a sai hit my throat.

"This is a very familiar predicament," I muttered.

"Learn how to tie a bolas better," the assassin whispered in my ear. I'd have to ask Robin to help me in the arts of jiujutsu or whatever it's called. I hope I don't have to call him 'sensei,' but then again I watch way too much anime. The obsession started a year ago…

"Artemis," Cheshire said. The archer started and walked over to the assassin so only she could hear her words. "Whisper and I have met before." Her eyes widened. "If you knew the things I knew about him, you wouldn't want him as an ally. No, you wouldn't want any of his _đô__ng ch__í_ as allies either."

The archer looked at me. "You aren't going to deny any of this?" she asked in disbelief.

I shook my head. "No, I want you to decide: do you trust me or her more." She looked between the two of us.

"Artemis, what are you waiting for?" Miss Martian called out, "Save Whisper!" I scoffed. Save me? I could get out of here. This was a test for Artemis. Failure on my side meant certain death though so, I guess I should just hope and pray Artemis chooses well.

She closed her eyes in concentration. When she opened them, Cheshire said, "Your decision?" For a moment, Artemis looked like she was going to turn me in. Then she body slammed the assassin. I immediately l got myself untangled. When I looked up, Cheshire had gotten Artemis off her, her back to the exit. "Until another time, kiddies," she said, "and now I'll disappear like the Cheshire cat." Then she was gone.

I looked at the time and groaned. Ugh, we still had to report to Tempest and brief with Bats. All I wanted to do was _sleep._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is officially the longest chapter I've done with about 7,000 words… so far. You never know, I may get a miracle and do an even longer one. This chappie also had some info about Whisper's past. I'm just warning you: the pasts won't be entirely revealed until the end of the story.**

**I honestly don't know how I got this chapter so long, but this story has 51 reviews! Yay! Thanks you guys!**

**Review please! This chapter took a lot of work, effort, and thinking. Three reasons of the many why it was so late! **

**-wolfeclipse25**


	9. Denial

**A/N: June 20, 2012**

** So I was doing more figurative math, yippie. This time I was figuring out how fast my updates would be. That was around a measly two updates a month! So stupid… So I'll be at this story for around a year. Yippie.**

_** Chocolatpen: **_**Well, actually Flash hasn't done anything major, it's just have you ever trusted someone and then they didn't live up to what you thought were simple expectations? Well, that's the situation between Flash and Whipser.**

_**Browniesarethebest, Alex Skywalker, bluecrystalz7774: **_**You three, you sent messages about their appearances (their being Whisper and Robin) and I was like, "What are they talking about? Is it because they're in swimming trucks?" But then after reading **_**bluecrystalz7774's **_**I was like, "Ah, the blond hair and brown eyes." You see this is why every so often when the chapter seems right, it's nice to put down what the characters look like again. Anyway, this will be explained- probably when their pasts are revealed! I know, I'm killing you guys, sorry!**

_**Lil' Miss Carolyn, 0BlazeInARainstorm0: **_**According to my Google app, the **_**đô**__**ng ch**__**í**_**meant 'comrades' in Vietnamese. Google is so confusing like words in Japanese in Bleach, I search them, and the meaning is totally different than what it's written as in Bleach. Also, yes Whisper's dad was slightly abusive, but he regrets that he was.**

* * *

TEMPEST

We were circling each other like lions ready to pounce. I had a smirk on my face as did my opponent; a white light emitting from the floor highlighting our bones, and giving each other a slightly skeletal appearance. Each of us thought we could defeat the other. The call was close to an outsider's point of view. I liked to think of myself as a careful fighter. Always adjusting myself to my opponent and only using the amount of energy required. I always, when facing a new enemy, was wary and never charged foolishly into battle and used more strength than needed unless I knew I could win. Unfortunately for Superboy, I knew I could beat him.

He charged me, but I could tell his stance was far more careful than it was when he'd first joined the Team. He swung a punch at me. I ducked under, and swung my leg out at his knees to try to knock him down. Superboy immediately turned and jumped over my leg. I just changed its direction and used the force still there to form an arch up. It hit the back of his ankles. How unfortunate; the Achilles tendon hurt if hit harshly. As if to prove my point, Superboy's eyes widened in pain and he started to scream but turned it into a hiss. He fell to the ground; the words: COMBAT FAIL appearing above him in red. "Superboy!" M'gann cried and ran over. The two girls, M'gann and Artemis were in their civilian clothing or 'civies' for short. They were talking; you know, 'girl to girl stuff' as Whisper put it.

Speaking of Whisper, on the last mission, before it, he'd hung out with Flash. Robin had been worried. He told me. Well he wrote, "Do you think we should tell Whisper to remain wary of Flash?" Translation: I'm worried about him, and should we check on him? Also, should I murder him at the first notice of hurting Whisper?

Robin tends to have a morbid mind. I told him to keep his level of killing on the discreet side of life. He'd just snorted and started cleaning his weapons. I'd left him at that; it tends to take him a couple hours to clean them. Not because it was long, but because he had so many.

Currently, Whisper and the ninja were in a separate part of the training room. As soon as the speedster had woken up this morning, he'd jumped in the middle of Robin's meditating, literally he jumped on Robin, and asked him to train him with something. He was speaking too fast for me to understand, but Robin seemed to understand it perfectly. He'd just nodded and stood up sighing while Whisper danced around like a five year old. Looking at them, I could see Robin showing Whisper how to throw a bolas at the boxing pole. So far Whisper had been getting it around it, but something was displeasing him, and he kept scowling and throwing it again. Robin just stood supervising the speedster.

Now back to Superboy: M'gann had hurried over to the clone. He rubbed his Achilles scowling, and I held my hand out to him. He took it and I pulled him up. "Great job," I said.

"But I didn't win," he responded in disappointment.

"It's going to take a lot more than a ton of training to beat me," I said with a faint smile, "I say 'great job' because you've improved. That's what truly matters." He nodded and a small smile broke out on his face causing the Martian next to him to do the same. They definitely liked each other; like how Artemis and Whisper liked each other, but they were in denial stage. Even Robin agreed with me and he was only 13, but probably had the knowledge of an old, worn soldier.

Red Tornado walks in. Robin raises his eyebrows and Whisper translates. The speedster ran over to the android. "Do you have a mission for us?" he asked. Robin sighed and handed him a random banana which Whisper accepted gratefully.

"Yes," Red Tornado said. A picture of a man in gold armor and gloves went up. He wore a gold helmet that completely covered his entire head but his eyes, and a high collared, gold cape was attached by a metal circle on his chest. His chest and pants were either black or navy. "This is Doctor Fate, a member of the Justice Society of America, and now Justice League. Doctor Fate is a man named Kent Nelson who disappeared. He is also the guardian of the Helmet of Fate, a powerful artifact holding magical properties."

"Magic?" Whisper echoed, "Do you mean science tricks used to look like magic, or actual legitimate magic?" he asked bluntly.

M'gann looked at him with shock. "Do you not believe in magic?" she asked in disbelief.

He shrugs nonchalantly. "I believe in it, just that a lot of times 'magic' is just science and tricks, designed to fool the observer. Also, I'm not a real big fan of it myself. I'm more of a 'science' person. Magic doesn't really suit me and I like to avoid it if possible. But that's my opinion. If you believe then that's you. Not my call to make," M'gann looked a little hurt. Maybe she considered Whisper a kid. She, herself, is a believer; her reaction to Whisper's words proof enough.

The holograph folded in half, vanishing as it folded. "I would like you to check up on Kent Nelson," Red Tornado continued. He looked around and his eyes rested on Superboy who was slightly wincing each time he shifted his weight. I felt a twang of guilt. "But Superboy must stay," the android said.

"What?" Said clone exclaimed.

"You are hurt; you rely on your legs for transportation." Red Tornado explained, "You would be a liability to the Team if you couldn't walk or run."

Superboy grit his teeth in anger. "Fine," he practically spit the word out.

M'gann rested her hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him. "If it helps, I'll stay with you," she offered.

He looked up at her. "Really?" she nodded. "Is this okay?" he asked the android.

"I would not recommend it considering enemies may appear, but on the contrary there seems to be no enemies to come."

"Translation: yes," Artemis said. The Martian and the clone looked at each other simultaneously and grinned. Then they turned away blushing. "Oh get a room!" the archer shouted, exasperatedly.

Whisper zoomed over and put one hand on each of their shoulders. "Alright, now there are a few rules. First rule: play it safe. Use protection. Second rule-"he was interrupted by Artemis grabbing his shoulders and yanking him back with a choking sound; leaving a very confused clone and Martian behind.

* * *

The first thing I noticed was that there wasn't anything there. It was just a field of green grass and almost night, but this was where Red Tornado's coordinates were, so this was where it had to be. The android had also given us a key, but I didn't know where to put it. I walked forward.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Whipser asked.

"The Tower of Fate may require faith, so that is what I'll give." I took the key out of the fleece I'd gotten and mimed inserting it in a key hole. In my head I was thinking, I believe that this is where the Tower of Fate is. It exists. An old fashioned, medieval, brick tower melted into view like it'd been covered in a blanket and someone had lifted it. The door I'd put the key in was wooden and square. I look back at the Team. Artemis was looking at it with a kind of surprised face that practically screamed, "I was shocked, but managed to hide it!" The archer, surprisingly, had remained in her civies. Robin was nonchalant as always, and Whisper was just looking at it with a raised eyebrow like, "So? You're a magic tower, who cares?"

Immediately, a spectral image of a Kent Nelson surrounded by gold light flickered in front of us. "What is your purpose in the Tower of Fate?" it asked in a demanding tone. Beside me, Whisper and Artemis bristled, but Robin calmed them with a hand on their shoulders and a warning look. I knew that look. It was his lowest level of his "I'm going to kill you, painfully and slowly using various methods you've never even _dreamed _about." Trust me; his lowest level would probably even make Batman react a little.

I stepped forward (again, what am I, leader?), but before I could say anything, Whisper appeared in front of me. "Oooh, is this magic?" he asked like a five year old in a candy store. He waved his hand in front of spectral's face. The spectral frowned.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Artemis hissed at him, "Do you want to die?"

"Oh, please," Whipser scoffed. The floor got cracks in it and light was emitting from them. Robin tapped Whisper's shoulder, but the speedster waved his hand in dismissal. "I've survived a lot." The cracks grew and tiny pieces of the floor were falling revealing more yellow-orange light. Robin's tapping grew more insistently. "Anyway, nothing is-" The floor completely dropped down. "nothing." He finished yelling it as he fell. Artemis yelled curses at him, and shot a grappling arrow at the wall. It attached itself and she grabbed me, swinging us both to the safety of the wall. I looked down. There was a pool was lava. "Lava?" I heard Whisper yell, "Of course they'd do lava! Why not?" The speedster reached safety by directing his body in the direction of the nearest wall. Once he reached it, he used his speed to climb up the wall, his hands darting for something to hold. As soon as his hands found a ledge, he grabbed onto it so he looked like he was in the middle of rock climbing. Robin grabbed Whisper's legs, ignoring the speedster's half indignant half startled yelp, and used the newfound momentum to swing to the wall across using his grapple hook. They looked weird: Robin holding on with a grapple hook in one hand and the other holding an upside down Whisper. "I'm awake, Mom," the dazed speedster muttered. Robin rolled his eyes.

"Nice going, idiot!" Artemis snapped, "You nearly got us killed!"

"Hey, I didn't know the guy was sensitive!" Whisper defended himself, "And Robin, why are you holding me upside down?" Robin looked at him and mouthed some words. Whisper winced, momentarily looking mentally scarred.

"What'd the brat say?" Artemis asked, the 'brat' being Robin.

"He said, 'This is your punishment for getting us in trouble. Or would you rather your punishment be the torture methods?'"

"'Torture methods?'"

"Over 200 methods of torture…" Whisper mumbled still mentally scarred.

Artemis's face paled. "You know the look he gave you to calm you and Whisper down?" She nodded. "Did it scare you?" She nodded and shuddered. "Imagine that times over 100 in various other places." Her face paled further and turned chalk white.

"Shouldn't we, you know, get out of here?" Whisper asked, recovered, "It's not like there's A GIANT POOL OF FREAKING LAVA BELOW US!" he finished it yelling. Robin winced and rubbed his ears on his shoulders.

I nodded in agreement. To be frank, I'd forgotten about it. Robin, Whisper, and I have faced much worse. In fact, I doubt Whisper was as worried as he showed himself to be. I looked around. "I think that we just really have to state our purpose? We never did because a certain speedster got in the way." Whisper winced and grinned sheepishly.

"Red Tornado from the Justice League sent us to check on Kent Nelson." Artemis cried out. The floor immediately closed up and we dropped on it gratefully.

Whisper and Artemis started gasping from the pressure. "Let's not do that again," Whisper said between breaths.

"No dip," Artemis responded. Oh, Whisper, stop acting. Robin and I both know how acting can affect you. But then I'm a hypocrite if I told him that. I knelt down and gently rapped the floor. It was hollow; it was a trap door. I felt around, feeling for the handle. Once I found it I pulled it open. A gust of cold, harsh wind instantly flew up whipping our hair everywhere. We climbed down and landed on a snowy landscape. The wind was a little less wild closer to ground, but still cold. The sky was dark though.

The area was calm. That'd give me time to think. I honestly don't think we should've joined this team. For one, we risked the Justice League finding more about us than we want them to know. The three of us have a great deal of skeletons in our closets, but we only knew a few. Also, even if we did know them, we could never feel the way the other had felt during his experience unless we went through it ourselves. Robin though seemed so… so… unimportant. Throughout our 'adventure' with the Young Justice, Robin still remained unimportant. He was just kind of there. Yes, his talents were acknowledged, but it seemed he really didn't do much. Whisper was the most… stood out of us three. He was constantly making jokes and he no longer hid his superspeed. I'd been elected leader apparently from the way everyone always looked to me for advice or explaining things. I don't even know how I got chosen. So Whisper was class clown and I was leader. That made Robin what? Robin has always been the more secretive one. I suppose being mute helps his cause.

"Okay, that's random," I was interrupted from my thoughts by Whisper. I looked to where he was staring. There, in the middle of a snowy, mountainous land was a gold hilted walking stick floating. Whisper was right, it was random. I walked over to it and knelt down, inspecting. It seemed normal other than the floating. "So, did you find anything?" Whisper asked me, walking over. I stood up.

"No," I rubbed my chin thinking, "We have to think rationally. Why would a walking stick imbued with magic be here, in this specific location?"

Whisper hummed slightly and gently touched the top. I saw a faint yellow light that Whisper couldn't have missed. "Whisper!" I yelled. I grabbed his hand above the hilt and both our hands were now firmly stuck on it. I didn't even try to escape; something told me that my efforts would be fruitless. Everything flashed a pale gold, but before it did I swore I'd seen Artemis and Robin look at each other simultaneously.

* * *

We landed on a platform. Whisper looked around. "Too many stairs," he muttered complaining. The room we were in was full was brown staircases in complex patterns and turning in all directions. Diagonally across from us were three people. One was a man that had tanned skin, dark hair in a pony-tail, and a dress shirt unbuttoned. His pants were also dress. His name was Abra Kadabra, a villain. Another was a boy that looked in his teens. He was wearing a black suit and had pale skin. His dark hair was styled so it had horns. To add to his abnormalities he had an orange black striped cat with crimson eyes lying across his shoulders. The last person was an old man in a suit. He had to be prisoner to the other two because he was on the ground and his hands were tied. He looked familiar though…

Whisper snapped his fingers and pointed at the old man. "Ah! Spectral dude!" he exclaimed. That answers my question. This must be Kent Nelson.

Nelson looked confused. "Spectral dude?" he echoed.

"The spectral that shows up when someone arrives here stating what their business is." I explain. Understanding dawned upon him and Nelson nodded.

"So you're Kent Nelson," Whisper said, "I'm Whisper, that's Tempest. We were sent here with two others to check up on you since you disappeared.

Nelson stared at us like he was thinking hard. "Are you two new?" he asked, "You must be; I don't remember ever seeing you before."

"Who are you?" Horn-hair asks- no, screeches.

Kent smirked. "Thank you for bringing me my staff," he said. A golden aura surrounded him and the staff; then Nelson literally floated to us. The two other males mouths dropped. When he reached us, he touched the staff and his bonds melted. "In here," he said. Nelson touched the staff bottom to the wall of the block behind us. It glowed gold, and an elevator appeared.

"No, no, no!" the pale boy yelled. He rose his hands. The ends of his coat ended in long, thin isosceles triangles I realized. Then his hands started glowing a red aura. "I want the helmet! I want it, I want it!"

"Look at that," Whisper commented, "There's red! Finally, a break from gold." But the boy's efforts were fruitless. We were already in the elevator and it was closing. In it, the walls were elegantly decorated with a dull red and gold. Spiky gold letters went up, shown above the door. "So, Kent," Whisper started slowly, "Who was the boy-brat? We knew Abra, but who's the kid?"

Kent didn't say anything, contemplating his choice of words. "The 'kid' as you put it is Klarion the Witch Boy, a Lord of Chaos."

"They actually have those?" was all Whisper said.

"Klarion is the only major threat," Nelson continued, "Abra, as you know probably, is a charlatan. His 'magic' is science while Klarion's is the real deal. As a Lord of Chaos, he is the natural enemy of Doctor Fate, a Lord of Order. Klarion is after the Helmet of Fate. If he gets it, he'll turn the world into his personal pandemonium filled playground."

"Where is Doctor Fate?" I ask, "The others may not know this, but Whisper and I know that you are not him."

The older man nodded. "You are correct, I am not Doctor Fate." He grinned ruefully. "I'm just an old coot Fate found. Doctor Fate actually resides in the Helmet of Fate. He then takes the body of whoever puts the helmet on. I was the person he used."

Whisper's eyes narrowed. "Like possession?"

"To put it in simpler terms, yes," Nelson shrugged. He opened a pocket watch, and sighed. I peered over to see it; it was a picture of a pretty, old-fashioned woman.

"If I may be so blunt, who is that?" I asked.

"That's Inza, my wife,"

"Where is she now?" Whisper asks, but I think he already knows.

Another sigh. "She's dead," We leave it at that, not willing to pry. The elevator dings lightly and we exit next to a giant bell. I heard faint screaming, and Robin and Artemis drop down on another platform.

"Ow," Artemis groans. She looks around and sees us. Immediately, her face brightens. "Finally!" she exclaims, "We found you guys! Do you know how annoying this brat can be?" Said brat laughed.

Whisper fake tsks at Robin. "Naughty, naughty Robin," he scolds ensuring another cackle.

"The girl is Artemis and the boy is Robin. They are the two other people we were traveling with." I explain to him.

Robin's head darts to the side, his eyes narrowed. He then threw a bolas. Just as it seemed the weapon was going to fall to oblivion, a door appeared and out walked Abra and Klarion. The bolas hit Abra and the man fell. I looked back to where Robin had been, but he was gone. When I looked to Abra and Klarion, Robin was already there. He hit a pressure point with his forefinger and Abra slumped in his bonds, unconscious. Klarion's face contorted with rage. "Boy!" the Lord of Chaos snarls, "You took down Abra!" The rage was the only warning for Robin, before a red bolt of energy, like lightning, struck out at him. The ninja jumped up and landed on a staircase above. The lord let out an animalistic snarl at the upside down boy, and grabbed the bolas surrounding Abra. Instantly, the weapon melted; Klarion then touched Abra's forehead and he woke up gasping. Robin's eyes narrowed as he processed the information for battle. Nelson's eyes had narrowed upon seeing Abra and Klarion. He tapped the giant bell and then walked _into _it. Artemis looked at Robin and then at the bell. Robin caught her glance and nodded; he could take care of them. Klarion's hands started to spark red. Robin jumped on the witch boy's shoulders and then leapt off landing on his hands. Once his hands made contact with the ground, he turned so his stomach faced up and kicked Klarion's face sending him back, reeling.

Whisper tapped my arm, "C'mon!" he said and ran after Nelson into the bell, followed by Artemis. I looked at Robin uncertainly. He nodded. I turned around, but swiftly turned back upon hearing a thud and seeing flashing red in my peripheral vision. My eyes widened. Robin was panting on the ground; red sparks, like shock after affects, jumping off him. He hadn't been able to scream because of his lack of voice.

"Aww," a disappointed voice drawled, "That kid can't scream for me. That's a shame. He looks like the type that'd have a nice scream." Said kid shot him a death glare and hissed at him. I looked past Robin. Klarion stood opposite me, red magic enveloping his hands. He didn't look so angry anymore, but the malice in his eyes hadn't faded on bit. Realization hit me like a brick. Klarion must have shot at me at the last minute, and thinking there was nothing else to save me, Robin played the martyr. I wanted to kill that witch boy. "Ooooh," Klarion's voice filled with childish excitement, "Look at that rage in his eyes, Teekl! The _hatred_!" The cat on his shoulders let out some mews. The cat's name must be Teekl. Klarion waved his hand dismissively. "I suppose I should; don't want the brats to find the helmet first." I remembered our mission, and started to run into the bell; I had to make it before Klarion. I looked at Robin and he rolled his eyes pointing at Abra. _I'll get this sucker and meet you through the bell. Also, I'll try to hold back Klarion; keep him busy for a moment so you guys can plan your defense of the helmet. Don't worry; I'm fine._ Then I walked through the bell.

Nelson, Artemis, and Whisper were already there. We were on what looked like the roof of the Tower of Fate. Night was upon us, and there was a slight cool breeze. Artemis had an arrow loosely nocked, but her eyes were alert and darting around. She saw me and nodded, acknowledging my presence. Whisper had several of his arrows tucked under his armpit and had one in his hands, sharpening it. He also saw me and grinned. "Hey Tempest," he greeted, "Where's Robin." His expression darkened, and I mentally cursed myself for forgetting that Whisper wasn't the oblivious clown he made himself out as. I could think of two clues that gave me away: one being that I hadn't answered, and, two, that my expression must've changed for the darker scale of emotions when Whisper had mentioned the ninja. "What happened?" he demanded. Artemis's turned her attention to us, but was mostly looking at Whisper. His voice had been so serious. Nelson too looked over.

I closed my eyes briefly and got a hold of myself. "Robin got hit by one Klarion's blasts-"

"I'll kill that-" Whisper ended his angry threat with a swear.

"-but sustained minor damage. He's currently taking care of Abra and will prolong Klarion's arrival, but not for long." I finished.

Nelson shook his head sadly. "Klarion's coming," he said regretfully. It was then that I noticed the golden object in his arms. It was a helmet, the one that Doctor Fate had been wearing in the picture Red Tornado had shown us.

I took a step to it. "Is that…?"

Nelson looked in the direction of my gaze. "Yes, this is the Helmet of Fate," He looks sad but the expression turns to shock and he's flung forward. Behind him is Klarion with his hands sparking and raised. Robin was facing him, crouched down and a few feet away from the chaos lord. The ninja was panting, but he gave me a reassuring face when he caught my eye.

I ran over to the fallen man, and checked his pulse and looked at his face. He was barely conscious and his pulse was weak. Nelson looked at me and raised his hand. His staff flew over and a golden dome surrounded us; making everything have a golden hue in my vision. I looked out, and swiftly barked orders out. "Artemis, remain at a distance and stay at the defensive. Robin, keep up the work you've done. Whisper, partake in the offensive with Robin, but mostly remain with Artemis." My commands were acknowledged with nods. Then I studied Klarion. So far, the others were staying on par with him, but I knew that exhaustion would catch up even if it took weeks for Whisper and Robin. I knew if I participated, then we could beat him, but Klarion was a Lord of Chaos. We'd all have to be at full strength, meaning I'd have to enter now. But that'd also mean that Artemis would still be conscious and she… I scowled.

Artemis was Sportsmaster's daughter.

Don't get me wrong, I trust that Artemis has no intention of reporting of to the League of Shadows as a traitor, but I'm not sure that the League of Shadows still has connections through her that she doesn't know.

"Tempest…" a weak voice said.

I turn to Nelson. "Please, save your energy and don't talk." I told him.

He ignored me. "I can see the desperation on your face," I scowled; was I that obvious? Nelson laughed weakly. "Don't worry, it isn't that obvious," he added voicing my thoughts. He then gestured to the helmet. "But I can tell that you can't win against Klarion. You need Doctor Fate." His body fell limp.

"Please, Nelson," I said, "Stop talking,"

"You're hiding secrets and guilt." He continued, "Release them. Until then, maybe I'll see Inza again…" His voice faded and I knew he was gone. I bowed my head. Then I looked around. The others were losing, just barely hanging on. Artemis looked ready to collapse, having been forced to become more offensive. Her bow had been traded for her crossbow, a more up to date sturdier way of shooting arrows. Whisper was covered in cuts and his clothes were torn; he was panting heavily. The speedster was holding a two and a half foot long, just thick enough for him to wrap his hand around it. The ends were sharpened to a point. Robin had a look of frustration on his face and his left arm dangled uselessly at his side. Several kunai hilts were held in his mouth and every few seconds he throw some with his right arm and force his left to retrieve more.

I looked at the Helmet of Fate. Maybe… My head jerked in the direction of a scream. Artemis had a furious expression and was holding her right wrist, her crossbow fallen and the hand smoking. That made up my decision. First Robin's arm and now Artemis's hand; the only good this came out of is the fact that Klarion had been too occupied to face me.

I grabbed at the gold helmet and put it on. I heard Klarion shout, "No!" and saw a red flash as he tried to stop me, but it was too late.

With the helmet fully on, my sight had been blocked. I didn't know where I was; it was dark and echoey, a spotlight was shining down on me. It was also silent. Then I noticed I wasn't alone.

"Kent Nelson!" I exclaimed standing up, "How are you here- wait. Where are we?"

Nelson smiled ruefully. "We are in the Helmet of Fate. Nabu, the true Doctor Fate, is controlling your body. He is a Lord of Order."

"I thought you were dead." I whispered in shock.

"My soul got sucked in; probably because I spent so long in it." He gestured nowhere. "Take a look." It was unnerving to see something happening from eyes' view, but not actually the one controlling what's happening. Presently, I was flying, and a golden ankh shield was in front of me- or my body I should say. Klarion was shooting red fire at me below me, but the shield stopped them.

At first I was worried because I couldn't see the others, but Kent said, "Don't about your friends. They're just taking a break from the madness." Relief blanketed me. Knowing Whisper and Robin, they were just tending to their wounds and Artemis's.

"Give it up, Nabu! Order went out in the 20th century!" Klarion shouted.

"This battle is pointless," my voice had gone rougher and had the magic feel to it like Zatara's voice got when he spoke a spell. "You sought to take the helmet before it took a host, but you were too late."

Klarion grit his teeth in anger and rose his hands. "Shut it!" he roared and two piles of stone on each side rose and slammed into my body. My vision flashed gold and the stone crumbled.

"Brat," Nabu stated calmly and shot a beam of gold energy at the witch boy. The Lord of Chaos let out a brief scream and vanished from view. Then pain exploded from my back. I gasped and bent forward slightly. I guess that made since for me to experience pain; it was my body after all. That made me sympathize Nelson just imagining all the damage he took as Doctor Fate. That made me think more. If Nabu lost, then I would die probably. I scowled; now I see why Nelson didn't put on the helmet for a while. All alone in this dark lonesome place, it would drive someone insane.

Nabu was on the ground now recovering. A bird of fire flew over and he dodged. He faced another and put up a shield just in time. Then pain burst out again in my side. My view changed quickly and I assumed Nabu had rolled from impact. Then I saw Klarion. A smirk was on his face. Red swirling dots floated around his head, and the witch boy formed guns with his hands and made motions of shooting. For each time a hand was brought down, a red bullet of fire shot out of a dot. My vision turned gold again: a shield. The bullets hit the shield and eventually the gold cracked and broke: the shield was overpowered. A flamethrower of red flew to Nabu and then I was looking at bird's eye view: Nabue flew up to dodge. I could see Klarion with fire pouring from his mouth and Teekl behind looking at me. Then Klarion stopped breathing and thrust his hands up one at a time like he was doing uppercuts. I didn't know what he was doing, but then I got my answer when my vision changed red. I yelled. Klarion must've been sending pillars up like geysers after me and one finally hit. Even though I was in pain, I almost laughed when I heard the painful clang of the metal helmet hitting the floor.

"You're out of practice, Nabu" I heard Klarion's snide voice say over the ringing. "In that pathetic host body with zero affinity for the mystic arts." Okay, that was a lie. I was an Atlantian. In Atlantis, I'd studied some sorcery, but not much. But that was more that 'zero affinity for the mystic arts.' There was thunder and Nabu put up a dome shield just in time for red lightning to strike down causing rainbow sparks. "Ooh, rainbow power," Klarion said in a very Whisper like fasion. Teekl meowed. "I am paying attention, you stupid cat," Another meow. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm _winning._"

Everything flashed fire and then gold as Nabu caused the lightning to explode and a ring of golden fire surrounded his feet. "It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to remain a presence on a physical plane," the Lord of Order said. Klarion scowled and his features turned demonic. His skin got a purple tinge and his eyes widened turning red. His face stretched up slightly. Red fire surrounded his body and Teekl. He let out an avian like cry and great balls of fire were balanced on his hands. He threw them at us, more balls forming as soon as one left. My vision moved swiftly: Nabu flew. "I am bound to the helmet, and use a human host." he continued. He shot a beam at Klarion. A half dome shield of stone rose up to protect the witch boy and a cloud of dust rose upon the beam's contact. "But that is not your way."

"Your babbling, Nabu!" Klarion's voice had turned echoey.

"Am I?" came Nabu's immediate response. A beam came from Nabu's chest with a sound like metal hitting metal. Klarion formed a red shield, but he was not the beam's target. Teekl hissed as the beam drew closer and meowed in pain as he got hit and rolled from impact.

"Teekl!" Klarion shouted. He faced Nabu, his features back to normal and rage written on his face. "I can't believe you'd assault a defenseless pussy cat!"

"We both know that creature is not a cat, witch boy," Nabu said, unfazed by Klarion's anger, "And without it, you have no anchor on this reality." As he said this Klarion's body flickered like it was a broken holograph.

"Bully!" Klarion insulted, "Kill joy! Geezer!" Nabu's hands were raised high enough to be seen in my view and a beam shot out to Klarion. "Holy crud!" he muttered and vanished in a red portal. He reappeared next to Teekl and picked the cat up. "We're out of here!" then his body transformed into black outlined by red and vanished.

Then it was silent. I wanted to see how the other's were doing, but Nabu wouldn't turn his head. I stepped forward. "Nabu, would you please remove the helmet?" I asked.

"No," came Nabu's voice. Behind me an image of the Helmet of Fate appeared. "The Earth needs Doctor Fate. I will not release this body."

"Can he do that?" I asked Nelson. He nodded. Then I felt my body be hit by something. The next thing I know is someone- or something- trying to rip the helmet off. I yelled in pain. Then Whisper dropped down from nowhere sputtering some creative words. Whisper scowled and looked around seeing me and Nelson. Then his eyes found the floating helmet.

"Release Tempest!" the speedster yelled.

"No," Nabu repeated. Whisper grit his teeth in frustration.

"Let him go before I _burn _the helmet off his head."

"… You wouldn't dare,"

Whisper smirked and pointed at where I could see. Robin was standing in my view looking perfectly fine, albeit bored. Then I noticed the lit lighter in his hand. "You're bluffing," Nabu said, but his voice wavered slightly.

"Want to bet?" Right on cue Robin reached forward. I felt intense heat around my head and felt like I was melting. The smell of smoke pervaded my nostrils. Nabu was screaming in pain, and the image of the helmet flickered. Then it stopped leaving the two of us panting. Nelson had his eyes wide.

"I refuse to remain useless in this helmet while chaos reigns free!" Nabu shouted. Whisper raised an eyebrow.

"So that's it?" the speedster said, "You're lonely." The helmet had frozen; perhaps in shock. "I mean, look at this place!" Whisper waved his arms around. "It's isolating! I can only imagine how horrible it would be to stay here for so long. You're biggest reason for staying here is because you're lonely."

Silence, "…Correct," there was no denial.

Whisper smiled triumphantly. "That was simple, no wasn't it? You just want company. You also want to have a host body."

"Well," I said, "What if I told you that I'd focus more on finding a host for you."

Whisper let out a hiss of pain. "I have to go," he said, "This isn't good for me," His image flickered. Nelson put a hand on his shoulder.

"I can tell that you have secrets as well as Tempest, and like Nabu you're lonely." The man said, "But find your own spitfire like my Inza; one that will let you get away with anything."

"Spitfire? What do you mean?" Whisper asked. He was almost gone and his voice was fading in and out.

"A spitfire." Nelson smiled ruefully. He does that a lot I've noticed. "For example-" Whisper faded and I felt a pang of sadness. The speedster would never hear what he'd said. "-that Artemis girl." I grinned. Even Nelson could see that Artemis and Whisper would make a couple!

"Nabu," Nelson said, "Believe me, these kids mean the truth. They will find you a host and make you useful. I'll stick around and keep you company until then."

My eyes widened. "What about Inza?" I asked him.

"Don't sweat it, Tempest. I'll spend a few millennium with Nabu and then see Inza." He lokked at his picture in his pocket watch. "She's up there for an eternity as a spirit; all spirits are. But that's the great thing about eternity, it's eternal. She'll be there in the millennium."

"The bargain is acceptable." Everything was turning white. I felt a little sad. I was taking a liking to Nelson. "Tempest is it?" Nabu said, "Tell your red haired friend he is a worthy enemy. Tell him he has gained my respect as you have gained mine as well." Then everything was white and I was back on the roof of the tower with the helmet in my hands.

Then all the breath was knocked from my body, but I wasn't concerned. I looked down at Whisper. His green eyes had turned cold and reminded me of the frost on grass in early winter. "Don't ever put the helmet on. Robin and I will consider it an act of cowering and running away." His voice was hard and emotionless; it sent shivers down my spine and made me wonder: what did Whisper do before Robin and I had met him? Then the coldness melted. "But you came back, and that's what matters." His voice was full of relief. Whisper pointed at Robin. The ninja had a look of indifference and was trying to avoid looking at me, but I saw his eyes and they too were full of relief.

"Doctor Fate says you've won his respect," I whispered to him.

The speedster grinned. "Maybe it's my charming personality." Robin biffed him, but was grinning.

I felt a punch at my shoulder. "Don't ever do that again," Artemis growled avoiding my eyes as well, "Speedy here said that there was a chance that you would've never come back."

Then it hit me as I was looking at Whisper. His hair was _blond _not red, so why did Nabu say it was red?

* * *

**A/N: Should I name the chapters? Warning you, the chapters that would be based off legitimate chapters would be named after the chapters. **

**Review, flame, swear, ect.- anything!- please! I'm pleased with the number of reviews (63) but more would be awesome!**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	10. Downtime

**A/N: July 6, 2012**

** Finally! An update! Too bad this chapter stinks. I know I'm harsh on myself, but I can seriously tell you this chapter stinks. If you want, I don't blame you for skipping it. You can too, skip it I mean. It doesn't have anything in it anyway. **

_**XXXHells Angel of DeathXXX: **_**Well, I'm sorry that I made you break you're rule (no sarcasm intended), but I'm glad you enjoyed my story enough to!**

_**Bluecrystalz7774: **_**When you told me about my typo with Whisper's red hair, I'd read it at 10:30 p.m. on my iPod so I couldn't fix it. But I was panicking so much on the inside about the number of people who'd see it! Thanks for seeing that; I fixed it the morning after.**

_**CHiKa-RoXy: **_**I think I want to kiss you! Not literally though. I mean, imagine how surprised I was when I looked at my reviews and saw 81! Then I noticed that you'd reviewed for pretty much every chapter! Thanks so much!**

_**JanelleL: **_**For all your guesses, you got parts of their pasts. But, you got Whisper's mostly down on how he turned out this way. Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

WHISPER

"So, Rob," I say nonchalantly, 'What's the plan for Ugly?" I think I'm a very honest person, and when I can't tell the truth I make sure at least I don't' lie. Well, most of the time; matters on the situation. Anyway, when I refer a bad guy as 'Ugly' as you may have heard me in the past, I seriously mean I think he's/it's ugly. This 'Ugly' looked like some sort of ogre you'd see in some fantasy novel or shown. It was also looked like it was made of mud or wet cement. Its eyes had no pupils, and when it opened its mouth to roar, revealing jagged teeth that reminded me of broken glass, strands of his…skin? still remains together.

The ninja tapped his chin thoughtfully. Then he promptly grabbed my wrist. I had just enough time to think, Oh crap, before he threw me over my head to Ugly. I groaned and a drop of some sort of liquid dripped onto me. Once again I thought, Oh crap, and ran out of the way just in time for Ugly to roar in my face, sending spittle everywhere, and attack me. Now my only thought was, Man, its breath stinks! The ground shook as the giant lumbered after me. I glanced in the direction of the corridor the others were hiding in. "Nice of you to help with Ugly!" I called over sarcastically.

"Its name is Clayface, Speedy!" Oh, good old Artemis.

"Thanks for the concern, Arty!" I shouted back, "Feeling the love!"

"What love?"

I could practically hear Robin's sigh from yards away. There was a yelp and then Artemis was pushed into the middle of the… Um, what do you call a sewer section? That's right, we were in a sewer. As in the place our human waste goes after our little toilets go 'flush!' It actually didn't smell as bad as you'd think or look as disgusting as you'd imagine, but I was still wary of the river-like stream of water. Anyway, the middle of the long tunnel; how's that sound? Her ('Her' as in Artemis) eyes went wide as she saw me turn around so both Clayface and I were heading towards her. I zoomed over to her and picked her up bridal style. "Hey, Arty, what's shakin'?" She cursed me, and I tut-ted in mock disappointment of her choice of language. She then decided to just glower at me. I just laughed.

_'Hey lovebirds!' _I nearly tripped over my own feet. Then there was a cackle. Stupid Robin. I'd forgotten that he could speak via the mind-link. I did like his voice though. It was on the higher side, but still pleasant. It reminded me of those younger teen singers when they were, you know, singing; except Rob wasn't singing.

Okay, off the subject of Rob's newfound voice.

'_WE ARE NOT LOVEBIRDS!'_ Artemis and I yell simultaneously.

_'Could've fooled me.' _Came Robin's immediate response. _'Anyway, you guys have two objectives.'_

_ 'Well, don't keep us waiting!'_ Artemis said, "_Get on with it, brat!'_

Robin growled and murmured his nickname in discontent. _'Objective one: don't die.'_

_ 'NO DIP!' _Cue evil cackle.

_'Objective two: keep Clayface busy for two reasons. I need you guys to do that so he won't attack me so I can focus on finding its weak spot.'_

_ 'Wouldn't it be easier to just wait for Batman? He did say that he was going to find a weak spot as well.' _ Artemis asked.

_'I suppose it would be easier,' _Robin said. Artemis got ready to prolong the fight. _'but who said that I liked taking the easy way?' _Artemis closed her eyes whispering something about not killing a brat and to stay calm. I had predicted this so I found this amusing.

_'Artemis, Whisper, just attack Clayface,' _Tempest interrupted in a tired voice.

_'Right-o, Temp-o,' _I said and gently placed Artemis down. The archer immediately nocked several arrows and fired. Cue explosions and angered roar. I chuckled and started circling Clayface. The giant's head whirled around and around trying to keep up, but he couldn't. I really didn't know what to do. Randomly, my mind thought of a rap song called "The Motto" by Drake. I shrugged. You only live once. "YOLO!" I screamed and ran through Clayface leaving a nice Whisper-shaped whole through its gut, laughing. When I exited, goop covered me in patches and dripped off. I flicked some off my hands with a "Meh,"

"YOLO?" I nearly jumped out of my skin. "What does that mean?"

I turned around. Miss Martian had been in camouflage mode and had discreetly flown over to me. "YOLO means you only live once."

The Martian cocked her head. "Humans only live once?"

"What, Martians don't?" I asked her.

"Hmmm," she frowned in concentration, "Well, we believe in reincarnation." **(A/N I'm not sure if this is true.)**

"Heh," was all I said.

"Whisper look out!" Artemis shouted. I yelped and dodged out of the way just in time for Clayface's foot to smash down where I was. The hole that I'd made was slowly melting back together like sand does when water hits it.

"Oh, c'mon!" I complained. I sighed and ran back to our hiding place. Superboy took my place in a flashy entrance of roaring and jumping on Clayface. In our hiding place, Rob was sitting cross-legged in a meditative form. Tempest was peering out the corner, watching the battle from afar. I grin. "It's the three of us," I say, "The sidekicks are the ones fighting." That made Robin frown.

Without opening his eyes he pushed Tempest into the battlefield- far more gently than he did to me- and said, _'Artemis, take a break and come back.' _Then an eye cracked open. _ 'Ha, I spoiled your fun.' _I crossed my arms and 'humphed' in mock anger at the ninja.

"What are you talking about, Superboy? It's me, Miss Martian!" The voice that said that… it sounded like Miss Martians, but something was off. It sounded like more than one person talking at once! I looked over to corner. Sure enough there were four people out there instead of three. There was Tempest and Superboy of course, but there were two Miss Martians. Tempest was shifting his eyes between the two; deep in thought. Superboy had a frustrated look on his face and his eyes kept darting. Robin stood up. _'I see…' _he murmered, _'Clayface has the power to transform its qshape; kind of like Martian shape-shifting. It uses that to trick its opponents- or us in this case.' _

_ 'Can you track which one is Clayface?' _Tempest asked, his voice was like steel, calm but dangerous.

Robin tapped his chin thoughtfully. _'Clayface made a mistake. It chose a Martain.' _Rob stepped out and stopped next to Superboy. The two Miss Martians instantly had their attention directed to him. Robin was silent. Then an angered look appeared on his face. He reached in a pocket and withdrew a taser. In one fluid motion he shocked one Miss Martian and slashed the other in half with his tanto.

Superboy grabbed his scruff roughly and lifted his in the air. I got prepared to run, but Artemis grabbed my arm. "Why'd you do that?" the clone asked in Robin's face. The ninja calmly flicked spit off his face, but didn't say anything else. Superboy growled and shook him.

"Superboy!" Tempest said sharply. The clone turned to him, and he gestured to the remains of 'Miss Martian.' They'd melted into a pile of grey goop. I broke from Artemis's grip and ran forwards, jumping through it again. But instead of being covered in more goop, I was perfectly dry. I looked behind me to see two replicas of me, and felt my eyes widen. Superboy let go of Robin, a slightly guilty look on his face. Robin dropped down to a crouch, and looked at the Whisper clones with his eyes narrowed. Tempest had shifted his body to a fighting stance, and Artemis had an arrow nocked. Across from me the two copies grinned mischievously and grabbed me arms. They then spun me around and around. When they were done playing Ring around the Rosie with me, we were all in different positions and scrambled with me dizzy. Good thing I don't have motion sickness. I instantly took notice of my dampening clothes, and flicked my wrists in disgust. Ugh, this was probably toilet water.

It was then that I noticed the fact the four others had surrounded me in a circle.I gulped nervously. Superboy and Artemis I could handle, but Robin and Tempest would pulverize me!

"I don't want to be pulverized!" I screamed in mock fear. Artemis and Superboy gave a look that said, "What the heck?" Tempest looked at Robin with a slight nod, and said ninja smiled slightly. Tempest put his hands in the water- cue wince from me, we don't know what's in that water!- and electricity zigzagged through it towards me. Instead of shocking me though, it hit the clones. Their backs arched as electricity ran through them. Then they fell limp, and melted to the grey lump like before. It started reforming, but Robin leaped down from God knows where and dug a taser in it. Then he activated it, making sure to jump upwards, so he looked like he was in some sort of handstand but his hands were attached to the taser, so the electricity didn't touch him. Electricity, once again, spread through Clayface. Ugly let out a guttural roar and then collapsed to mush, but this time it didn't get up. Robin stared dwon at the mush- which let out a bubble in return- and then flipped over, missing the mess completely.

That was when Batman jumped through the window, a taser in hand.

TEMPEST

"Ugh, too many tasers." Whisper half groaned, half complained. Said speedster had patches of grey on his and the edges of his clothes were wet. "I hate sewers," he mumbled. Robin sighed and then disappeared.

Batman looked around. "What happened here?" he asked, "Where is Clayface?"

"We fought it while Robin figured out its powers," Artemis explained, "and then Tempest and him finished it off."

The dark knight looked at me. "Really?" he asked, "How?"

"I used my electricity to travel through the water and hit Clayface." I answered, "Before it could recover, Robin tasered it."

Batman looked away. "I see," Robin appeared next to me, supporting an unconscious Miss Martian. Superboy walked forward- his face showing the strain for not just running over to Robin. He gently took the Martian and carried her bridal style. Batman then turned to Robin and me with Whisper running over to join us. "Your test is to be taken tomorrow," he said, "Tomorrow you'll have the day off."

"Really?" Artemis beamed. Batman nodded.

"What do you mean by test?" I asked.

"Whisper didn't tell you?"

Robin and I glowered at the said speedster. He raised his hands in defense. "Would you rather take a test or go to school?" he asked. Robin and I looked at each other simultaneously.

I crossed my arms. "You could have at least told us before hand."

"I forgot?" Whisper offered sheepishly. Robin rolled his eyes and put a hand on my shoulder. _Just drop it._

* * *

I stretched, my muscles cracking from the disuse. It was officially the next day. Whisper, Robin, and I had the great fortune of being woken up by an over hyper speedster at 5:00 a.m. No, the over hyper speedster was not Whisper- at least not this time. It was now 9:00 a.m. Yes, we spent four hours taking test after test. Robin had already been ready. Flash had woken me up first, so when he went to Robin's room and found a kunai lodged in the doorway not even a second after he'd entered, was very amusing. The look on Flash's face… I thought he was going to... do a Number One for lack of better words. Whisper was the second one woken; I thought he was going to collapse from laughter. Robin and I managed to compose ourselves: me giving a small smile and Robin smirking.

The point is, in a simplified version: we had to wake up at five a.m and when woken, our waker was given a scare. Then we spent four hours taking numerous tests.

Robin looked ready to murder someone; he was practically radiating in killer intent. The ninja had stormed out of the room as soon as he'd finished stretching. His face was unreadable because of his mask covering over half of it, but his eyes were sharp and focused ahead. Not even Whisper's waving in his face made Robin even blink. The speedster was now meekly following Robin, albeit several feet away in order to raise his survival rate. I think I just looked tired, and I was positioned between Robin and Whisper. "Well that was a waste of time!" Whisper exclaimed, trying to break the ice. His response was an instant, sharp glare so hard I could feel the daggers in it, and the glare wasn't even directed at me! Whisper cowered making a pathetic sound that reminded me of a mewl.

I think I knew why Robin was so… _murderous._ I'm sure he passed the tests with flying colors, but he hates wasting time. If it was one hour he probably would've been more forgiving, but it was _four._ "Whisper," I say, "I suggest you spar with Robin for the next hour on half power." The speedster cut the façade for a second and sent me a knowing look. Then his coward act was back, and he grabbed Robin's hand running to the sparring platform using superspeed. I shook my head sighing.

I walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was simple: the usual things you'd find in one; a granite, dark island and countertop; and lights like mini spotlights. It was surrounded by walls, so if you were at the island, looking straight ahead, you'd see the back of a green couch facing a large, flat-screen TV. Superboy was occupying the couch, but what he was watching on TV was what caught my attention. He was watching nothing. The screen was fuzzy- the black and white dots- with the words "No Signal" at the bottom of the screen. Even though the scene was definitely different, I merely gave it a raised eyebrow- Robin trained it in me to not be prejudice- and walked to the kitchen where M'gann was cooking or trying to.

It was silent. The only sounds were the sizzling of the frying pan and the buzz of the TV. "Are Robin and Whisper okay?" M'gann asked breaking the silence. Superboy glanced over in the corner of his eye, and I looked at her. "I wasn't reading their minds!" she said raising her hands in surrender, a thin spatula in one, "It's just Whisper ran by not too long ago and he seemed kind of serious but sad too. Maybe even a little tired. I don't know. And Robin was with him and he seemed tired as well but also angry and a little regretful."

"That's a very descriptive description of their emotions." Instantly her face turned as pale as it could get being green and a look of guilt washed over her face. Then she noticed my smirk. "It's alright, M'gann, I know you didn't read their minds. It's just we had to wake up early for a some tests the Justice League wanted us to take, and we're a little tired and annoyed." She nodded in understanding, whether she actually did or not I really didn't care.

_Designation: Artemis B07_

"Hey, where's Speedy and the brat?" came a feminine but kind of rough voice. Looks like Artemis was here, not that I could tell by the fact that a computer had announced it out loud.

"Good morning, Artemis!" M'gann said brightly. Superboy looked in the archer's direction and 'huh'ed then turned back to his static.

"Good morning," I said, practically echoing the Martian, "Whisper and Robin are relieving stress." Artemis raised an eyebrow and I sighed. "They're sparring," She nodded and walked off, presumably to the sparring platform.

I heard a disappointed sigh and looked in its direction. The sigh had come from M'gann. She was looking forlornly at a mush pile that was light brown but had white patches of its original color there as well. The edges looked burned to a crisp, and some parts of the mush looked like it had a yellow tinge to it. My mind interpreted the mess as a ruined egg. The Martian used her spatula to carry it over and throw it in the trash can. As I peered over the island I winced at the many other eggs all in identical states as the previous.

"Do you want me to teach you how to cook an egg?" I asked her. She looked at me, hope practically beaming off her face. I walked over to the other side of the island and told her the simple steps of making an over easy egg.

1: Spray the pan with a thin sheet of cooking spray, and turn the heater on for low. Never to high!

2: Crack the egg carefully and let it into the pan at a close distance in order to avoid yolk breakage.

3: As it turns white use your spatula to prevent it from sticking to the pan. If you want spices (i.e. Salt and Pepper) then now is the time to put them on.

4: Carefully slide the spatula under the egg and turn it over when it's completely white. It does not need to be flipped; just turned so it's on its other side.

5: Wait at the most a minute and then serve.

Pretty simple.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" I nearly dropped the burning hot spatula on my foot. Then I sighed, recognizing the voice. "IT'S ARTY FARTY!" There were several crashes and then a black blur ran past the kitchen, leaving a fading zigzag path as it avoided furniture. Then Artemis appeared with several arrows in hand, a furious expression on her face, screaming, "MY NAME IS ARTEMIS, SPEEDY!" Robin followed the two with an nonchalant expression on his face. He went to the fridge and retrieved two water bottles, throwing one at me. Superboy looked stunned. Whisper appeared in front of him as soon as Artemis passed and said, "Hey, Supes!" Then he ran over to M'gann, Robin, and me saying the same thing. Robin simply flicked him while I ignored him.

An hour later leads to Whisper dangling from the ceiling clutching one of the lights for dear life and Artemis sitting at the island red-faced, downing water, and panting. The corner of the archer's mouth twitched as she gulped down another water bottle; Robin placed another next to her. "That little brat is good at running away," she growled. Robin made a motion of mock hurt. _I thought my nickname was 'brat!' _Artemis caught the gesture. "Oh don't worry, you're still a brat as well." Robin cocked his head as his to smirk at her. Artemis then started to stare at him. Then she whirled to me and finally Whisper, who was still attached to the light. "Don't you three have any other clothes than those?" she asked.

I looked down at my normal garb. I didn't see what was so wrong with it. "We're comfortable in these clothes." I responded politely.

"You three wouldn't fit in in public." She continued on ignoring me, "So I'm thinking we got to the mall and get you new clothes."

"The mall?" M'gann shrieked, "I've only heard about it! It's really popular for humans right?" We all stared at her with incredulous faces. "Can I come as well?"

"Um, sure," Artemis said. Then her face broke out in an evil grin. "You can help me force them to come."

"Okay?" M'gann agreed unfortunately.

I waved my hands in surrender. "I was going to agree to come." I said, "Your reasons for getting us proper attire are reasonable."

"What about brat and Speedy?" she asked turning to Robin who had to be the unfortunate one and be closest to Artemis. He sighed and nimbly climbed to the light Whisper was on. The light wobbled with the extra weight.

"Uh, hey Rob," Whisper said looking at the ninja uncertainly. Said ninja grinned and promptly hit Whisper's hands. The speedster hissed and let go. Robin then kicked Whisper's chest with enough force to knock him off. Robin then grabbed the speedster's wrist in order for him to not fall onto the island. Robin then threw Whisper onto the couch. After that he jumped off the light and landed in a crouch next to me. He then nodded at Artemis as he was standing up.

"Good," the archer said, "looks like physical force is not needed on my part."

* * *

ROBIN

"HE-E-E-E-E-E-LLO-O-O-O-O-O-O!" Whisper yelled over the balcony. Customers on the elscalators turned and looked up with confused looks. "GOOD AFTERNO-O-O-O-O-ON! WHAT'S U-U-U-UP-?" Whisper was cut off from saying more by Artemis grabbing his hood and yanking him backwards.

"Idiot!" she screamed at him, and started beating him.

"What is this, a lover's quarrel?" I heard a pedestrian say. I smirked. Lover's quarrel? _'Looks like you two are an official couple.' _I said.

I let Artemis biff me. "Shut up brat."

"So where are we going now?" Tempest asks. The look Artemis gave was frightening. By no means is Artemis a 'girly girl' but she must have some liking towards shopping. I mean, I think everyone has some liking towards it; it doesn't have to be clothes, it can be anything. Anyway, after looking at Artemis's evil grin she grabbed Whisper's hood and ran off in the direction of some random store among the many others, ignoring Whisper's choking sound.

I didn't know the name of the mall we were in, **(A/N: Please don't blame me! I don't live in Rhode Island and I like to keep my facts right; so no making up fake malls. I will though make up what it looks like because as I said before, I'm not from Rhode Island.) **but it was big. There were two floors with four sets of escalators for customers to ride up or down. The balconies were glass and there were large glass windows for display, and random long leafed plants in pots dotted the mall as decoration; sometimes singular and other times in bushes. Several parts of the ceiling were glass, and on the first floor was a food court that had a fountain. We were currently on the second floor. The atmosphere of the place screamed kind of a light yellow. All in all though there was a lot of glass, and it seemed like your average mall.

M'gann ran after Artemis and Whisper clutching Superboy's hand. She'd gone under the disguise of changing her skin color to Caucasian so she looked like a teenage girl with long, red hair; several freckles; brown eyes; and wearing a pink cardigan with a white under shirt and skirt. To complete her pink theme, she had the same color in a headband that was outlined in a darker shade. Superboy looked like he always did nowadays: jeans and black T with red Superman 'S;' very original.

The store we'd entered had a soft golden feel to its light and color. Black spotlight lights hung from the ceiling, and circular racks of clothes dotted it. The walls had shelves lined along the majority of it holding more clothes. Several mannequins stood as display for an article whenever there was a new section. There were also class short shelves like display cases holding jewelry. In the center of the madness, was a group of the display cases forming the outline of a square. In the square were a couple of workers acting the cashier. A fairly long line of customers had accumulated from the cashier. Other customers were spread around, wandering.

The girls looked like they'd been turned to speedsters. They were zooming around the store and by the time they'd come back, Tempest and Whisper were so bored that they were playing chess. Well, more like Whisper was bored. I was meditating and was rudely interrupted by the feeling of something hitting my head. I opened my eyes to see clothes. I took them off my head to see Whisper and Tempest in a similar state. Then I examined the clothes in my lap. Immediately I noticed something missing, and I ran off the grab the missing accessory. When I came back, I instantly felt the M'gann using her telekinesis to push us to the changing rooms. The changing rooms had a curtain to separate them from the rest of the store, and the stalls were like those of a public bathroom.

I sighed. Was there any way out of this? Hmmm... I looked around and considered my options. Well, I could easily climb over but there was a chance that Artemis and M'gann might see me. Also, if I exited through the front M'gann would just push me back in. And I vaguely remember Artemis packing tranquilizing arrows in her backpack. Looks like I had no choice.

It was then that I noticed what Artemis and M'gann had chosen for me to wear. I flat out refused to come out. "Robin, are you okay in there?" I heard Tempest ask me.

"Oh, does wittle Rwobby-Twobby need help putting on his clothes?" Whisper asked in a mocking baby voice. My humming via mind-link was the only warning he had before I threw a shuriken at him. I knew he'd saw it by his yelp.

'_I refuse to come out in this attire.'_ I said stubbornly.

"Please, Robin," M'gann implored. I could practically feel her want through the mind-link. I sighed and came out. The first thing I noticed was the outfit Tempest was wearing. He wore a simple dark blue, unbuttoned button up revealing a dark red T. His pants were jeans. Whisper wore the same jeans but his shirt was a loose black T with an electric blue lightning design on it. I was wearing a brown plaid, short sleeved dress shirt with jeans. On my face I'd tied a chocolate brown bandana to cover it. All of our outfits, I noticed, seemed to compliment out figures just a bit. Not that we had bad figures from my perspective. Not that I'm gay or that I have anything against homosexual people.

Artemis put her hands on her hips. "I don't see the big fuss on why you wouldn't come out. You look good."

I tugged at the bottom up by shirt. _'It's just so weird. I don't remember the last time I wore normal clothes like this.'_

M'gann clapped her hands together, delighted. "Are we going to buy these clothes?" she asked. I looked us over. Yes, we looked good, but were they the most practical? No, not really. I shook my head and turned around, walking back into the changing room. There I changed into my previous outfit, and then exited and started wandering for clothes. Now, if I was a pair of cargo pants, where would I be?

* * *

I threw the piles of clothes at Whisper and Tempest in the similar fashion Artemis had to us; albeit I threw the clothes at Tempest so they slid off his face to his lap. Then I went into the changing rooms. When I'd exited again, Whisper and Tempest had changed as well. Artemis whistled in appreciation. "Not bad taste for a boy."

"You guys look so good!" M'gann beamed. I had chosen to wear a simple thin, dark blue hoodie unzipped to reveal a dark brown shirt. I'd wrapped a soft white, thin scarf around my neck and up to cover the lower part of my face. For pants I'd taken a pair of dark brown- darker than my shirt which was more of a chocolate color- cargo pants, and I'd grabbed a pair of dark Nike running shoes.

For Whisper, I'd gotten him a pair of silver and dark blue Nike running shoes; black and dark grey camouflage cargo pants that were looser; a light blue guayabera shirt that I'd purposely chosen to not look too vacation-like, but more regular day; and to top it off, a grey, thin black plaid Fedora hat- for 'fashion's' sake. Tempest was wearing jeans, a dark grey dress shirt that came to his elbows, and combat boots.

I think his was the most simple.

I looked us over. I'd purposely chosen Whisper's shirt and pants for their pockets and his shoes for him running. His Fedora… well I could always use another weapon. Everything is a weapon someway, somehow. Anyway, Tempest wasn't as agile as Whisper and I, so I focused his clothes on protection and durability. I admit, a dress shirt probably isn't 'durable' but it would probably keep Artemis and M'gann from going against his outfit. His jeans were thick and tough but not overheating and the combat boots would last. I'd chosen a T so I'd also grabbed a hoodie for warmth and its pockets as well the same reason as the cargo pants. I could add more pockets to the inside of the hoodie discreetly later. Also, the scarf was excessively long which could provide tourniquets and bandaging.

Tempest looked down at himself and then at Whisper and me. He instantly caught onto what I'd been aiming at. "Good job, Robin." He said, "These seem appropriate for the public." I caught his message: Good job, Robin. You chose useful clothes white being subtle about it.

Thank you very much, Tempest.

"Now are we done?" Whisper asked impatiently. Shopping was not his favorite thing to do if you couldn't tell already.

Artemis and M'gann looked at each other simultaneously, and the three of us knew we were far from over. Whisper groaned and banged his head against a pillar.

* * *

WHISPER

It's official: I hate shopping. I don't understand girls. Just figure out what you want, go to a store, and buy it! Simple! If you want to see what looks good, then you search it online before you come to the store! But no. We have to spend seven hours searching for more clothes! You'd think after the first two outfits we'd be done but we weren't. At first it was for Tempest, Rob, and me: annoyed. Then it grew to Artemis and M'gann: angered. Then the girls added Superboy into the mix: unexplainable in censored language! Ugh, I'm so happy to be a boy. I did over-exaggerate on my loathing for shopping. I had more endurance than I'd shown.

Anyway, when we got back, Artemis and M'gann took the from-hell-carrying-bags-of-torture and yelled they were going to put them in the hall. As they left, Superboy looked at them with a longing expression, made a pathetic grunting sound like he was having inner turmoil, and then went to the TV. I grinned. Supermartian!

Tempest, Rob, and I stayed in the sparring/briefing room. What is that room called: a multipurpose room? I don't know. We were in the first outfits Robin had gotten us. We stayed in there for two reasons: Batman and Aquaman.

I swear, though, that Artemis said 'thanks' to Bats as she passed him. It must be because he must've paid for our expenses. Speaking of Artemis, I noticed she looked much happier today. Maybe M'gann's influence is finally working on her.

"Where's Flash?" I asked warily, crossing my arms. If Batman and Aquaman were here, Flash should be too.

"Not here," Batman responded. I had to restrain myself from saying some creative language to him. He was such a… smart-mouth to put it kindly.

"Care to elaborate?" I offered my voice cold. The earlier atmosphere of carefree-ness was gone.

"No," Cheeky man. "but I will." That caught my attention. Maybe he wouldn't be such a prat after all. "He's gone on family matters." Never mind, I take those comments back, he is a cheeky prat. Realization dawned upon me. I knew why Flash was missing. It was _his _birthday. I didn't hate Him, not God if that's who you're thinking I'm thinking of. But He is the reason why Flash is missing. Now that I think about it, it's a good thing I asked where he was. Bats doesn't think now that I know more than he thinks I know. Man, that sentence was confusing.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Robin look at me for a split second. Fear ran through me. I loved Rob to pieces but sometimes it seemed superficial, fake. I think Robin knew more about Tempest and me more than he let on. I don't think he knew everything but I was scared of Robin. He was always hiding his strength and I was afraid one day his skeletons in his closet would be unleashed and all his strength would be unleashed with it.

"While you were gone, we went over your test results." Batman continued, "You three all passed with about 90% for each test." Wow, that was a shocker. "We have deemed that you do not have to attend school, but you will have to take lessons online ever now and then to stay with your age group." Seemed reasonable, a pain, but reasonable.

Aquaman stepped forward a guilty look on his face. Tempest visibly tensed. "Kal- Tempest," he started. Ah, nice save. Almost called Tempest by his dead skin's name **(A/N: A reference, look back to chapter 2, paragraph 1.)**. "I know you don't trust me, but I'd love for you to trust me again. I apologize for leaving you. I have no excuse for my actions." Then he turned and left with the flash of the light from the Zeta Beam marking his departure. I turned back to see Batman in front of Robin.

"I was thinking, and maybe you'd like to come to Gotham sometime." I felt my eyes widen. Why was this affecting me? Maybe it's because Tempest and Robin were finding a bit of redemption while I was still in Hell and they were rising to Heaven. Maybe it was because of the others finding some kind of new family. Maybe I was afraid of them leaving me. I could see it in Tempest's eyes. He was starting to forgive Aquaman a bit. Robin was an orphan from what I could tell. I didn't want Robin to replace Batman as his family! I thought Tempest and I were his family!

"-isper? Whisper?" My head jerked up to meet Tempest's worried pale green eyes. I was just below hyperventilating and Robin and Batman were also looking at me with worried eyes. I backed away slowly. They wouldn't leave me… Would they?

Just as Robin stepped forward, an arm raised, I did what I do best.

I ran.

* * *

THIRD POV

It was night in Central City. The moon was shining, and the only other lights were the ones coming from inside the houses. In one particular house was a group of adults. Three males and three females. Two of the females were red haired, one male was a brunette, and the other male was blond. The last female and male adults were elderly. There were gathered around a table with a banner above the doorway leading to the kitchen saying "Happy Birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Jay," the blond haired man said to the elderly one.

"Thanks for coming, Barry, you too, Iris," Jay said gesturing to the blond man and the red haired women wearing her hair in a pony-tail.

"I'm just glad you let Mary and Rudolph come." Iris responded, "I should be thanking you."

"I just wish Wally could be here as well," Jay sighed. A melancholic air thickened and weighed heavily over the group. Then he looked up at Mary and Rupdolph, the brunette. "Oh, god, I'm sorry-"

Mary, the other red haired woman, smiled ruefully. "It's okay, Jay." She touched her husband's arm to comfort him. A grieving look had appeared on Rudolph's face. "We miss him, but we have to face the facts. There's a good chance Wally is dead." There was silence after that.

Barry clapped hands in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Have I told you guys about the three boys who came and got us to form a team of the younger generation of heroes?"

"You've mentioned it, tell us more." Iris prompted.

They never noticed the figure just below the dining room window curled in the fetal position, silently crying.

* * *

**A/N: I have no excuse for this late update. It is entirely my fault. I apologize for the lateness, the constant POV changing, the awfulness, and Artemis's OOCness. I do think though, that it is better at the end.**

**You know how Whisper started hyperventilating? Well, at first I was going to make it a fight, but then I realized I didn't know how to create a convincing enough fight for Whisper to leave, so I decided to make it seem like he was starting to suffer from a fear of abandonment. I know it wasn't the best. **

**Some questions I'd like you guys to answer (these are just questions that I thought up of and got curious about; you don't have to answer them):**

** 1) Is there some noticeable humor in this story that makes you guys laugh?**

** 2) Who's the funniest character: Whisper, Tempest, or Robin?**

** 3) Which chapter is your least favorite?**

** 4) Which is your favorite?**

** 5) Is there a noticeable difference in personality when I switch POV's between Whisper, Tempest, and Robin?**

** 6) Is this chapter crap? (I really don't care if you say yes; if you noticed before I myself think it is.)**

** 7) Do you drink TruMoo chocolate milk?**

** 8) Do you think the word 'squiggle' looks funny when written down?**

**I think that's it.**

**Review please!**

**-wolfeclipse25**

**p.s. I don't own the brand of TruMoo or any of these clothes! I also never knew the types of the clothes listed until I searched them. The designs are all my own works so that's why they'll stink.**


	11. Bereft

**A/N: August 7, 2012**

** Thanks you guys for answering all those questions at the bottom of my last chapter! I appreciated the answers! Also, if you didn't take the last two questions seriously, that's fine. They were just random things I had been thinking of at the time.**

* * *

TEMPEST

I ran along the sides of the tall desert rocks. How I got in a desert, I didn't know. All I did know was I was in danger. As an Atlantian, I had a higher risk of dehydration than Robin or Whisper. I needed to find them. Last I remembered we were heading to New England. If we'd wanted to, we could've made the trip in a couple days from but we decided to take out time. We have nothing to do a lot, so we just travel places. Last I checked we had been in Missouri. I don't think there are deserts in Missouri. Fortunately, it was night so the sun wasn't up. In this desert, there was obviously sand that was constantly moving with branches or tiny dead trees. Spiky small patches of vegetation dotted the area sparsely, and there were plenty of cliffs and rocks. I had to stay in the shadows of the cliffs though, because when the sun rose it would change the cool temperature to blazing hot.

Then I heard roaring. It didn't sound like the friendly kind but then again when ever is a roar friendly? Usually things don't roar for the fun of it, so whatever is roaring must have an unwilling opponent facing it, but it was coming from the direction of no protection of the cliffs. I sighed and reluctantly left the safety of the cliffs. Maybe whoever I find will have information on where I am.

I got there just in time to see a dark haired, Caucasian teen rip his black shirt off him. I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. This is what was making such a noise? What a nuisance. Near him was a cowering, green skinned girl with red hair and wearing some sort of black uniform with a red 'X' across the chest and a blue cape. Wait, green skin? I looked closer, definitely green. She must be a Martian, but I don't ever recall Martian Manhunter getting a sidekick or any recent alien invasions.

Well, Martian or not, she wasn't the one who provoked the fight. That means I have a right to help her. I jumped at the teenager and rushed at him with my water-bearers in an 'X' shape in front of me. The teen thrust his palms against the water-bearers. I grit my teeth. He had superstrength; I wouldn't be able to beat him an all-out battle of strength. I ducked under his arms and brought up my right leg in my swift motion to the side of the teen's head. I guess it's a good thing Robin drills in to use our legs more often to fight in Whisper's and my head. The teen's head jerked to my left. He snapped it back in my direction and snarled, getting ready to attack again. Before he could, I brought the foot I'd lifted to kick, back to my chest and struck out in the center of his chest, moving my hands away just in time. The teen was pushed back several feet, a cloud of sand flying up when he hit the ground. He snarled and got in a fighting stance. I raised a water-bearer threateningly at him. When his intent to fight didn't change, I opened a jar and used the water in it to form a spear head at the end of the water-bearer. I carried jars of water with me so if I wasn't near water I could still use my water-bearer's to create other weapons.

The teen let out a guttural growl at the water-bearer and then ran off. I bended the water back into its jar, and then turned to the Martian. "Are you hurt?" I asked, holding my hand out to her.

She took it and rose slowly. "I-I'm fine," she stammered. I rose an eyebrow. Her English was slow. This must be the first time she's been on Earth before. There goes my only source of knowledge on where I am.

"My name is Tempest. What is your name?" I asked her. She reminded me of a child. I was never good with children but they seemed to love me. Hopefully, she wouldn't love me.

"Well, I don't know. I was supposed to come to Earth with Uncle J'onn, but I don't know where I am now. Also, we never came up with a superhero name for me-" her speaking her sped up as she continued and was now just blabber in some language I didn't understand. From what I got, she was supposed to be J'onn's-Martian Manhunter's- new sidekick. Last she remembered, they were still on Mars, and she hasn't a superhero name to call herself. It appears she's lost her memory too. Were mine and her memory lapses connected? Why would they be? Robin didn't have any grudge against the Justice League, but he'd agreed that he wouldn't press against our grudges- Whisper's and mine- or try to force us to go to the Justice League.

"That's alright. Just tell me your real name. You already told me your mentor's name." Horror flashed onto her face. Maybe I shouldn't have told her that. "Don't worry. You and your mentor are Martians, right? Martians don't exactly live like humans here on Earth. I'm sure your mentor has another alias and you'll create one for yourself. So, even if I learn your name, I won't really know where to find you because you'll have another identity to hide under."

The Martian looked at me warily and then gave in. Her expression turned bright. "I'm M'gann. Am I really on Earth?" I nodded. Her face beamed. "Really?! I've always wanted to go to Earth! Where are we: Malibu? China? I know: Paris!"

I blinked at her ignorance. Her face fell. "We aren't in any of those places are we?" she said in a small voice. I shook my head, and a sad expression was on her face as she curled in the fetal position.

I knelt down beside her. "I don't know where we are, but we both don't remember how we got here. I think that our memory losses might be connected." Her head perked up, hopeful. "For now," I continued, "I think we should stick together. Can you search the area using your mind?" She nodded. "Good, I want you to do that every now and then. Maybe, if you pick up someone familiar you'll get a flashback." She nodded again, and then we set off; her by flight and me running in her shadow.

* * *

It's now afternoon of the next day. M'gann has tried to find people, but hasn't yet. The day was torture for me, the heat overbearing. By the afternoon, I was delirious. It was a good thing, I'd told her that I was an Atlantian and I get dehydrated faster than humans. So, if I started swooning or acting weird, then she should bring me to shade and wait for the sun to start setting. When I'd starting getting delirious, I vaguely remembered M'gann panicking and then carrying me to shade. Then she'd left, but not before telling me she was going to continue searching.

I still haven't told her about Robin and Whisper. I don't know what she'd do if I did. Now that I was cooled down, I could continue searching. Light was dimmer, and the sky was a rainbow of reds, oranges, yellows, and a little white: sunset. I stood up and looked around the corner. M'gann was floating cross-legged with her eyes closed. From experience with Robin, I knew she was meditating.

Suddenly, she gasped and stood up. "I remembered something!" she declared excitedly. She flew over, skimming the ground, and landed in front of me gently, a small cloud of sand rising. "I think we're on a team!" she exclaimed, "I saw us somewhere big with lots of humans. We were all wearing normal human clothes. There was a blond haired Caucasian, tan skinned girl pulling along a tall dirty blond haired boy with freckles." The boy described sounded like Whisper but I didn't know the girl. "Beside me were you, Tempest," I rose an eyebrow at that, "and next to you was a teenage boy with dark hair. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the Superman 'S' on it." Her eyes widened. "That boy from last night! That was him!"

"I'd said, 'C'mon, Superboy, let's go there!' and dragged along the boy with the black T-shirt, Superboy. The blond boy had said, 'No! You'll never take me alive, Arty!' and the blond girl had yelled back, 'It's Artemis, idiot!' You'd sighed and said, 'Whisper, please stop the antics.' That was the end. I think we're on a team with people named Whisper, Artemis, and Superboy."

I decided then to tell her. "I know Whisper. We traveled together for a while." On the inside I was relieved. Whisper was still around, but I was also worried. Where was Robin? M'gann hadn't said described anyone that sounded like him. Did he leave us?

She stood up. "Well, let's go looking for our team." Then she flew off. I sighed and followed under her shadow. I honestly didn't want to find this 'team.' To be frank, it was probably the safest move to kill her, find Robin and Whisper, and flee. But I couldn't kill her. She was the sidekick of one of the original Justice League members. If she went missing, there was a chance of Martian Manhunter searching for her. And if he found her dead body… I'm sure he'd be looking for revenge.

M'gann gasped. _'Superboy!' _she yelled. I winced. I forgot Martian's can do a lot of things with their minds, one of them being able to communicate through them. I call the connection mind-link. "Oh, sorry, Tempest," she said to be. Yesturday, during the night, I'd told her about Earth. Apparently, all she knew about it was learned from some show. I paid especial attention to her powers saying that humans like privacy and don't have mind powers like Martians. So talking like that will be a new experience and not always welcome. That includes all residents of Earth like Atlantians. She was still getting used to it.

M'gann's speed grew rapidly towards a small waving stream of smoke. "I felt Superboy!" she yelled back to me, "He's in pain!" As we drew closer, I could hear gunfire but they sounded too powerful to be guns. A familiar roaring was heard too. That must be Superboy's.

Then I heard a sound. I looked up and saw jet-like drones flying. Then they started shooting downwards letting out a series of earsplitting bangs. I could vaguely see their target: two people. _'Don't worry, I'm almost there!' _M'gann said and I glared at her, but decided it wasn't the best time to be reprimanding her about humans and mind speaking. The drones flew back and then launched themselves towards their original places above the two people. Before they made it, M'gann flew up to their height and clapped her hands, a serious expression on her face. In response, the drones smashed into each other. Then she flew down to the people.

One of them was a girl matching M'gann's description from her flashback: blond hair and tan Caucasian. She was wearing a full green facemask that left her eyes and mouth open. Her pants were green as was her shirt with a light green arrow pointing upwards. Across her back were bow and arrows. I was on guard. A teammate of mine, was Artemis!? I should've known from the name. She was Sportsmaster's daughter. The other was, to my delight, Whisper. The speedster saw me before I got there and he ran to me. His force caught me and we rolled down the hill, him hugging me for dear life. "I missed you so much, Tempest!" he cried out pathetically. I rolled my eyes at his antics, and gently pried him off. With his back to the girls, his expression changed "Where's Robin?" he whispered.

"I don't know. Have you and Artemis lost your memory too?" He nodded. We both turned back to the girls where M'gann was fruitlessly trying to talk to Artemis.

"Sportsmaster's daughter, right?" he asked quietly, eyeing the archer. I nodded. I rested a hand on M'gann's shoulder. "Perhaps, maybe I should try to talk to them." Whisper had run back to Artemis's side. "My name is Tempest, and this is M'gann. She's supposed to be Martian Manhunter's… partner. Who are you two?"

Artemis crossed her arms. "My name is Artemis."

Whisper raised his hand, "Whisper,"

"You don't remember how you got here, don't you?" I asked and they both nodded, "M'gann and I don't remember either. But M'gann had a flashback of all four of us."

"Did you by chance see a boy with dark hair and shirtless?" M'gann interrupted.

Whisper and Artemis exchanged glances. "Yeah, he scared the living crap out of us, jumping in like that." Artemis's eyes narrowed. "Do you know who he is? Is he some sort of weapon?"

"No!" M'gann shouted. The archer blinked at her outburst. "I mean, he's a part of our team!"

"Team?" Artemis echoed, "Why would I be a part of a 'team?'" She glared at me accusingly.

"I was getting to that." I continued, "In M'gann's flashback she saw us and the boy that 'scared the living crap out of you' together. We believe we are all part of a team. Something must've happened though that caused us to have to lose a part of our memories."

"Tempest?" M'gann said, "Can we finish this later? Superboy needs our help." I looked at her. She was facing the direction of a new stream of smoke.

"Super who now?" Whisper said and followed M'gann and me.

"Wait- why should we follow you guys?" Artemis asked. Then she yelled, "Hey!" and ran after us.

* * *

We never found Superboy. We had gone to the area we'd found the smoke but nothing was there. M'gann didn't say that she was disappointed but I knew she was from her expression. Now, it was night. We'd quit searching for Superboy and found a weird, green, rectangular device. We didn't know what to do so we'd just stuck around it.

Finally, M'gann sighed. "I've been thinking," she started, "that maybe if I opened my mind to yours then I could bring back our memories."

"Really?" Artemis jumped up, her eyes wide with hope. Apparently, she didn't like being out of the loop. According from what Whisper had told me as we searched for Superboy, he'd observed and come to the conclusion that even if she was Sportsmaster's daughter, she must've escaped his influence over the time we'd lost our memories. But the time before the amount time that we forgot, must've been when she was still working for the League of Shadows.

M'gann took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was a blinding flash of light and then we were in a dome shaped room. The ceiling looked like it was made of shards of gleaming, tyrian purple gems outlined in black. The floor was the same color. Though, on the ceiling there was one difference: on each 'shard' were flashes of scenes with a purple tinge to them. Memories perhaps? A figure of white light appeared, and when the light faded, it revealed M'gann. "I have to look through your minds though," her voice sounded resigned, like she knew we wouldn't let her.

"What?" Artemis shrieked. As much as she wanted her memories back, she didn't want her past to be known. I too felt the same reluctance. I have my thoughts and secrets I wish to be kept. I showed this by frowning but quickly erased it. Whisper had a flicker of shock ripple across his face before it melted into a fake face of outrage. I could tell it was fake because his eyes, in the depths, just didn't look angry, never mind outraged.

Whisper may be a possible greater actor than anyone in the world, but I travel with the greatest observer in the world: Robin. That boy watches and sees everything around him.

M'gann held her hands up in surrender. "I don't want to look in your lives!" she protested, "I just want to go back for the time we don't remember. That's all. It would help if we knew the time period forgotten…"

I closed my eyes. Maybe if I focused I could remember. That was when I got a flashback. It was actually a picture. It was just a picture of Batman standing in front of a holographic map. I could tell that there were people next to me, but couldn't see who they were. On the holograph though, there was a date! It said September 3, 2011. Then it was gone. I opened my eyes. Without realizing it, I'd closed them. I was met with startlingly bright green eyes with flecks of a gold-amber color. "I know what the date is," I announced, ignoring Whisper. "It's September 4th." I'd done some quick thinking. It was late at night when I'd first M'gann. Now it was the next night. If my flashback said it was September 3rd, then right now would be September 4th because it was the day after my flashback occurred. It also counted it my flashback was that recent, but deep inside I knew it'd been yesterday when the flashback had occurred.

"What?!" Artemis shrieked again, "September?! What happened to March?"

"That's six months," Whisper calculated.

M'gann nodded. "Then I'll only go back six Earth months." She looked at each of us; Whisper and I gave her a nod. Then we were all staring at Artemis. I wasn't a fan of peer pressure, but it was important to get our memories back. Any other time I could live without six months but I knew important things happened in those six months. Also, if I'd forgotten important meetings…

The archer looked at Whisper. I almost missed this, but I swear Whisper gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Fine," Artemis nearly spat the word out, "but only six months!" M'gann gave her a nod. I saw neon, light blue hands fly over to us from the Martian and then that scene was gone.

I felt like my head was going to explode. Flashes of scenes came and went like lightning, but at the same time they seemed so slow that they showed whole days, even weeks. Blurbs of words and sounds popped up but changed the same pace as sight; the same goes for my other senses. Where we went before July, a sparring Superboy and Black Canary, Whisper running from Artemis, Robin and I helping Superboy train, me helping M'gann make eggs. Then it slowed to one final flashback.

_It was the same as my previous one. Batman was standing in what I now knew was the briefing room: a large room filled with greys, blacks, and white. "The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert."_ Oh, so that's where we are. _"Evidence proves it is non-terrestrial in origin. We want you to investigate it and find out what happened there. Bialya is a in a rogue state, ruled by Queen Bee, and not a member of the leagues charter." The map vanished and a picture of a darker skinned woman with a gold crown and earrings appeared. "All communicates are subject to intrusion. Maintain radio silence at all times."_ Then the scene switched.

_We were all in the desert. It was night, and Superboy was carrying the green device on his back. We were on Qurac, Bialya's border, and on a cliff. Artemis was overlooking it crouched down low. "There's the site!" she whispered. Then she turned her head. "Well?" she asked._

_Whisper nodded, grinning. "This place is loaded with radiation! Great job!" _I couldn't tell who he was talking too, but the chances of Robin being with us were low. I couldn't pick through my thoughts to look for him, my mind was focused on this moment.

"_I can go check it out in camouflage mode." M'gann offered, walking up to the device. _

"_Good idea," I heard myself say, "but maintain telepathic contact."_

_Superboy glanced at her. "Stay safe," he said, and the turned back. It was weird hearing him actually talking normally instead of roaring._

'Yeah, we wouldn't want you to die because then we'd all be dead. I think Superboy would go on a rampage if he found your body.' That voice! It was through the mind-link! I don't recognize it though, who was it?

_Superboy growled in response. "We'll make sure to keep your boyfriend restrained." I'd said with humor. The two turned away, blushing pink with embarrassment._

"_And then we'll beat their butts." Whisper added. "Supes will be like the Hulk. I think we'll enjoy it, right Robin?"_

Everything flashed white, but that didn't matter. All four of us shouted simultaneously: "Robin!"

* * *

ROBIN

Once again I mentally cursed the sand. This is why I didn't go to deserts or beaches if I could avoid it. As of now I've been in this desert for a day. Or so that I remember. I'd found myself here after waking up from unconsciousness. It was quite unnerving to wake up in a place you don't remember how you got there. Like for example, when you have a life-like dream that makes you wonder where you are when you wake up. Kind of like that just amplified and lasts longer. If you'd ever had a life-like dream. I have. It involved me killing some girl by accident and then going insane from the guilt. It didn't help that I was being drowned in blood and screamed at that I'd killed her. In truth the dream shouldn't have affected me. I've been the cause of massacres before.

I once asked Whisper if he's ever had life-like dreams before. All I got was a concerned stare and, "No… Why?" in a slightly creeped out voice.

Maybe I shouldn't have asked him if he's had dreams where he's killed someone and gone insane from it.

So, because of my amnesia, I spent- no wasted- an entire day searching for something I didn't even know what for. Actually, I didn't waste the entire day. I did find a mysterious black piece of cloth with the Superman 'S' on it, and several times I spotted tanks and other signs military presence like boot footprints, fallen bullets, ect. I first saw a unit one at noon (According to the position of my shadow and my internal clock. Though, I don't trust my internal clock as much as my shadow to tell time. Once I woke up at five a.m. because I thought it was night already and I'd gone to bed at midnight. Stupid clock…). At first I'd dismissed it thinking that it was just the country's military training. Then I'd saw another when the sky was a burnt red. I decided, this time, to… investigate (Ehem-spy-ehem…) on them.

They were speaking Arabic. I merely accepted this fact with a raised eyebrow. Great. I was hoping we'd be in South America or Mexico but no. We're across the planet. That explains so much on how I got from America to Europe-Asia. Somewhere in there. It'd make more sense if I'd had Whisper with me, but my… fast friend isn't with me so he couldn't have brought me here. Also, I haven't found Tempest either. But then again if I'd found Tempest and Whisper then the chances of Whisper bringing both of us here are impossible. No matter how much strength the kid has, it's too much for him to carry both Tempest and me across the world or take us one at a time. The same reasons stand for Tempest swimming us across the Atlantic.

Anyway, Arabic. Yay. I didn't know much Arabic unfortunately; it was on my list of languages to learn. But what I did know allowed me to understand fragments of the orders and commands. I heard 'Her Majesty,' 'Watch- Justice League,' and 'head back to camp.' I pieced together the clues: there was a 'queen' that's the leader of this rogue military, and there is some team of the Justice League's here. Not much but definitely better than nothing. What really caught my attention though, was the 'head back to camp' part. I gave an involuntary smirk, and followed them to their base.

* * *

_Tanks are so slow, _I complained in my head, _I mean, it takes them way too long just to move._ I was right. It'd taken the tanks all the way through nightfall to get back to their base. I thought I was going to die of boredom. I seriously felt the urge to jump on top of one of the tanks and pull a Whisper screaming, "Hello, Arabians!"

But I withheld the urge. Now that I think about it, I should've done that but I couldn't even if I wanted to. There was always my laugh though… Maybe I could scare the crap out of them.

When we finally reached to base, I was ready to roll down the hill we were going down. I was that bored. The HQ looked weird. The tent looked like a tan, translucent half-balloon with yellow light shining through it. Covering the tent was a grated roof held above the tent with skinny, metal poles. I was unimpressed. I mean, that tent was probably flammable. One hand grenade and BOOM. Bye-bye base. I laughed, my cackle echoing softly in the air. Several soldiers lifted their heads nervously at the sound, and I clamped my hand over my mouth as more laughs came out. I was imagining their faces as the base exploded and watching the base explode in slow mo.

I snapped out of my fantasy when something caught my eye. I couldn't tell what it was. It was blurred. At first I thought I couldn't see it clearly because it was dark out, but then it hit me. It was a distortion in the air. There was something there. I followed it visually as it flew quickly and darted into the tent entrance. I sighed. Looks like there will be no bombing tonight.

The distortion opened the tent flap and I slithered in before it closed. Then I ran behind some crates. The inside was different than what you'd expect. There were machines with people in white lab coats observing them and soldiers with guns. In the center was a giant, grey sphere with a cage in an 'X' shape trapping it. The main focus of the scientists was a teenage, shirtless boy. He was strapped to a diagonally slanted board. Electric shocks burst out, shocking the boy as he let out animalistic screams. It made my ears ring. On normal circumstances I would've helped him, but there was something different about him. He was a normal boy.

I watched as the distortion knocked out several scientists and turn off the shocks. "Well, someone's certainly a glutton for punishment." A voice said. The owner of it was a tall man wearing a lab coat with a hood but it was brown instead of white. His skin was a pale white-grey and he had a grey, collared jacket underneath the lab coat. His pants were a simple brown.

I didn't like him.

"Simon says, 'Forget,'" The last word came out colder than the previous and he removed his hood. Underneath, his skull was translucent revealing his brain. A malicious smile grew on his face.

A splitting headache flashed out of nowhere. I hissed and closed my eyes, my hands going instinctively to my head.

_I was following the distortion in the air. _'Robin,' _a girl's voice said, _'Are you alright?' _I nodded. _'We're in,' _she said._

'Good, be careful; camouflage is not invisible.' _A voice replied. It sounded like Tempest's. We entered the tent. A group of scientists were gathered around a trapped, giant sphere. Electricity arched around it as the sphere ran in an attempt to escape when it couldn't. _

'They're testing something,' _the girl said, _'But its alive! In pain!' _Her voice was growing steadily more panicked. I watched nervously as the distortion- she?- flew closer to the sphere with her arm stretched out._ 'Hello?' _she said, _'Can you hear me?'

'I can,' _a voice said, _'You know the mind is a dangerous thing.'

'Someone's hacked our link!' _she said, shocked. I resisted the urge to say 'No duh! Get him out!' I found the source. _

'Simon can't see you, Simon can't catch you, but Simon can make you all _forget!_' _The last word came out as a yell. He removed his hood. Before I could attack him, a white light blinded me, and a searing pain erupted in my head._

I released my head. Then I stared at the man. His name appeared in my mind. Psimon. I remembered it was spelled with a 'P' in the beginning like psychic. So that's why he says 'Simon says.' He means '_P_simon says,' with a 'P.' I looked back at the distortion and Psimon. They were both frozen, and Psimon's eyes were dilating. They must be locked in a mental battle; according the my flashback they both have mind abilities. I was 100% (At least I think.) human. I'd trained my brain to guard against mental attacks, not fight them. I was staying out of this.

Then things started to float upwards. I looked at a bottle with an uninterested look. I've seen many things; floating objects won't affect me.

I ran over to the boy when I saw his eyelids flickering. He saw me and instantly started to growl. I pressed my index finger to his mouth, silencing him. He was about to probably bite my finger off when something caught his eye. When I looked in his direction, I saw he was looking at the distortion. I rose an eyebrow at him. Who- or what- exactly was this kid? He could see the distortion's true face perfectly?

He started to growl again, and the heart monitor's speed grew more insistent. The sphere's speed grew as well, and it broke free. The scientists were letting out shocked gasps. They screamed as the sphere rolled over to the computer at the foot of the board and smashed into it, freeing him and narrowly killing me. Not that it would have succeeded.

The boy leapt and roared at the same time towards Psimon, letting out a punch. A red outlined, black barrier appeared to block his punch, sending him rebounding. He skidded backwards, crouched low. Then he was near the distortion. I wanted to yell out, "Don't touch it!" but it was too late. He froze; caught in the mental battle as well. A moment later his head moved and the distortion cleared. I cocked my head. A Martian? Must have been in camouflage or something like my flashback said. The Martian was wearing a dark outfit with an red 'X' on it. On her neck was a blue cape with a hood. She was oddly familiar.

The boy's stance was different after he came out of the mental battle. It was more… thought out? Less primal? I didn't know. Several soldiers entered the tent and immediately the sphere crashed into them. It let out several beeps and the boy looked at it with slight confusion. "Um, thanks," he said. More appeared and one started shooting at the sphere. The sphere started rolling around and crashing into soldiers while the boy let out yells as he punched and fought to put them down. I leaned back against the board the boy had been trapped on and mentally wondered if when this was over I could find the nearest city and do some site-seeing. I was craving foreign food.

I green tornado suddenly blew up from where the Martian and Psimon where, surrounding them. It made scientists and soldiers alike- even the sphere- fly towards it. The boy jumped into it, assumingly to help the Martian. I sighed. Now I had to do work and take care of the soldiers now that the boy and the sphere were out of commission. The wind was making repetitive whistling noises. I heard a faint yell from within the tornado: "M'gann!" Was that the Martian's name?

Suddenly the tornado expanded. My mouth mimed a yelp and I barely had enough time to get out of the tent before the tornado blew it away. Not as good as a bomb but it'll do. There was a flash of light and several loud thuds as the remaining machines dropped into the sand. Psimon was tossed away with a shocked expression on his face. The boy was crouched to the ground with M'gann in his lap. The sphere rolled over to me and made several beeping noises. I shrugged and waved. _Hi._

Their faces drew closer and the sphere rolled towards them. I wanted to laugh. Nice job! You interrupted their moment! I walked over to them just as I heard the boy say, "Can I keep it?"

M'gann then noticed me. "Oh, Robin!" she cried out happily. I stopped short realizing two things. 1) I had a feeling she was going to be the hyper type. 2) She knew my name!

She ran over to me and enveloped me in a hug. I stiffened; I wasn't used to physical contact. She released me (Much to my relief.) and then pestered me with questions while the boy got up and walked over to us. "How are you? Where were you? Are you okay? Oh, hello, M'gann! He can't speak!" Okay, how did she know that I couldn't speak?! I was getting a little freaked out. A little overwhelmed by her. Or maybe just whelmed. Where did that come from? I'll have to remember that word for later on use. "Let me set up the mind-link." M'gann continued. _'How is this, Robin?'_ I winced. Voices in my head was something I hadn't experienced yet in my life.

"M'gann," the boy said, "I think you're overwhelming him." He must have noticed my dazed look as I lost her.

"Really?" she said, "I'm so sorry!" she apologized, "Let me start over. My name's M'gann and this is Superboy." She gestured to the boy. I rose and eyebrow and held out the black cloth with the 'S' on it.

"This is mine," he said, taking it.

"We're part of a team!" M'gann continued. Wait a moment. I, me Robin, willing formed a team with a hyper Martian and some 'Superboy' who were lovestruck? Wow, that's one of the biggest messes I've ever made with for myself. She continued taIking and flew to where she said was where the Bio-Ship was. I sighed mentally, and followed her with Superboy and the sphere right behind.

She was a Martian right? I wonder how long it'll take her to realize that she could probably restore my memories.

* * *

**A/N: Have you ever visited someone's homepage as a FF author and realized that they began after you did and was more successful in their stories? And then you feel a sense of jealousy/guilt because of that?**

**No?**

**I do. -.-' **

**Anyway, when everyone but Robin got their memories back I wrote a flashback with M'gann saying that she was going to check out the tent. Then I did a flashback for Robin making him also go in the tent with M'gann. I deliberately did that, don't worry. Just pretend that Robin joined her.**

**Please review even though I don't deserve it because of my late updating!**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	12. Targets

**A/N: es el 16 de Octubre de dos mil doce**

_**Browniesarethebest: **_**Thank you for continuously faithfully reviewing every other chapter! I always get really happy when I see new reviews, but then again when doesn't an author get happy at new reviews?**

_**sirensoundwave:**_** Ah, sarcasm. I absolutely love sarcasm. You're right, sarcasm is a guy/girl's best friend. Probably over 50% of my humor is sarcasm.**

** Things in italics **_(Robin) _**in this chapter mean that's what Robin wrote in his notebook.**

* * *

WHISPER

"Boo!" I whispered shortly in the archer's ear. Robin cackled softly as he jumped several feet in the air. He landed groaning.

"Oh, God, please not these two, why me?" Whatever small amount of sympathy that'd come vanished in less than a second. Red Arrow turned to us. "Why do you enjoy torturing me?"

Rob and I shrugged simultaneously. "You make it too easy."

Red Arrow sighed, rubbing his temples, momentarily removing his hand from a silver briefcase. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well," I say putting a finger to my chin, "I overheard Tempest talking to you about some assassination thing and the word 'assassination' always interests Robin, and I wanted some action, so we just snuck over here using my awesome speed. Also, there was the fact that Cat Grant was here. I've always wanted to meet her." I did a quick look-over at Red Arrow. He was wearing a simple black suit and tie with a white undershirt with dark shades to obscure the color of his eye color. "Nice suit, looking very snazzy." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Robin roll his eyes.

I looked around. "Um, where are we anyway?"

Red Arrow sighed again. I had a feeling he was going to do a lot of that. "We're in Taipei, Taiwan. You'd know that if you'd paid attention to Tempest." Taipei was cloudy tonight. And dark, but that's probably because it was night. We were standing behind one of the many pillars that were lined up to support the sunroof. The building behind us looked like an old-fashioned movie theater without the white sign. Paparazzi with flashing cameras were watched by security guards in the same attire as Red Arrow, and Cat Grant and her crew stood in a courtyard with some trees and a fountain. Near the doorway were two separate groups of people both looking like they were guarding someone. One was in suits and the other were in military uniforms.

"Hey!" I said, "I thought you didn't trust us; especially since we joined the Justice League."

"Tempest seemed more trustworthy than you too." He shot at us. Robin whistled. _Nice comeback. _I frowned at him.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Rob!" He shrugged. "So," I continued teasing him, "I heard you're looking for Cheshire. Is she your girlfriend?"

"No! Shut up!" He hissed clamping a hand over my mouth. I followed his line of vision to a black haired, Asian woman behind a stand. I knew instantly she was Cheshire. When I looked at Robin, he nodded to confirm my suspicions. Red Arrow pulled me down with Robin following and opened his silver briefcase. In it was a folded red bow with an arrow notched in it. I watched in fascination as it unfolded. I looked around and my eyes stopped at a figure standing up straight ahead. It was Cheshire in all her green kimono glory with a dark bazooka. She was standing on top of her stand, and carefully hefted the bazooka on her shoulder to aim at the white limo, surrounded my motorcycle riding guards, that was pulling up.

Red Arrow launched his arrow and it hit the bazooka. Cheshire let out a yell as the recoil and the arrow forced the missile to fly safely into the sky. The paparazzi flew into panic screaming. Security guards shouted in foreign languages. The groups of guards pulled out guns and escorted their person quickly away.

Cheshire leapt off the stand, jumping on people to get more momentum. She landed and quickly disabled guards. One grabbed her from behind, but she swiftly kicked two oncoming ones and freed herself. Withdrawing two sais she started running. Red Arrow revealed himself from his hiding place. I started walking forward, but Robin grabbed my hood yanking me back. I gave him a "What the heck?" look and he shook his head furiously. I sighed and sat down with a scowl.

Red Arrow jumped on the limo and launched an arrow in midair. It expanded to a net, but Cheshire cut it down. The two tackled with Cheshire topping him just as the bazooka missile crashed down. White stuff- confetti?- rained down as guards surrounded Cheshire. She looked around and held her hands up in surrender.

I felt something hit my head, and my hands from instinctively to it. I shot an accusing look to Robin, but he was looking the other direction feigning innocence. "What's the big idea, Rob?" He gave me a sheepish look. I scowled at him and looked back out. I rose an eyebrow. "Lex Luthor? Isn't he a bad guy?" Rob shrugged.

We watched as Red Arrow talked to Lex. His face had contorted slightly in rage. Or maybe it was hatred. Apparently I was right; Lex is a bad guy.

We watched as they started walking in the building and- wait! Holy guacamole! They were leaving us! I grabbed Robin's arm and ran, dragging him behind me. "Waaaaaiit!" I yelled. Red Arrow's eyes widened as we approached rapidly, and just as we were about to slam into the glass door promptly breaking it (Stupid breaks…), he threw the door open. Now _my _eyes were widening as we flew into the building. Panicked screams erupted, and I yelled, "It's alright, folks!"

Unfortunately, my assurance didn't… um, assure people of their safety.

I let out a very dignified yelp, and immediately shot Robin, who was trying to slow me down, a scowl for made a sound like he was laughing at me. I yelped because in front of me was a person who wasn't smart enough to move. I grunted as we hit- crashed more like it- into the person. Everything went temporarily black as I clenched my eyes shut. When I opened them again, the screams had stopped and now people were muttering in nervous and excited voices. I was belly down on the person's back. Robin had landed like the cat he was, and if you didn't understand that, it meant on his feet. Or relatively on his feet. Whatever he was in a better position than me, okay? He was sitting normally on between my feet. When I turned my head to look at the ninja, he flicked my forehead making me wince. Translation: Nice going, idiot. I blinked as a white lights blinded me, and then I groaned; facepalming myself anime-style. This was going to be in the news. Red Arrow was covering his eyes and shaking his head. I grinned sheepishly, and waved my hand.

"Get. Off. Me." The words sounded tense and angry; spat at me. I felt a harsh glare at me. I knew I could take it, I mean Rob's were worse, but I figured now wasn't the best time. The owner of the glare belonged to the person I was on top of. I gave a small, sheepish laugh at seeing the features of the person, which faded.

"Um, sorry," I said, and got up. Lex Luthor dusted himself off, retaining what dignity he still had.

"Friends of yours, Red Arrow?" he asked. Red Arrow took one look at us and shook his head. I forced my jaw to drop. "That little traitor," I mumbled evilly. "Tie them up." Lex commanded, "We can deal with them after." Some guards walked over and they dragged us to a pillar. When I say drag, I literally mean drag. We weren't resisting, but we weren't complying, so therefore, drag. They then wrapped some chains around us, tying us to the red pillar. Robin sighed looking around. I knew, and he did, that we could get out easily, but we decided to stay.

Rob then head butted me. It was a 'thank you' gift for getting us in this situation.

* * *

"Thank God you're here!" I shouted grabbing onto the metal bars that separated me from freedom. Oh glorious freedom. I'd forgotten what it'd been like to not have it. "I was worried you'd leave us here!"

"I was actually contemplating it…" Red Arrow muttered.

I grinned evilly. "Then Robin and I would have to resort to our 'Mass Destruction Breakout Techniques.'"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I said putting on a picture of innocence."

He nodded, disbelievingly. "Right. Aren't you guys supposed to be in school soon anyway? I heard that Miss Martian and Superboy were starting today."

I leaned against the grey, stone wall of the cell. "Tempest, Rob, and I were against school. So the JL let us take some tests. We all got average scores, so Bats said, at first, we could do school online. But then later he changed it to one of the league members- most likely Red Tornado- to home school us." I smirked at his raised eyebrow. "Jealous?"

Red Arrow cleared his face of any emotion, coughing. "No."

I frowned, "Why did you ask for Tempest's help anyway? I mean, I know more about the computer than Tempest."

"I felt he was saner than you two." He replied.

"Hey!" I shouted, "That is so true!"

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Robin had gotten up from the steel bench that was connected to the walls. His eyes were serious and used his index finger to tap his temple. I waved him off to keep us the act. Good thing he understood that. If I'd done that anywhere else he'd of killed me. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Get what?" Red Arrow asked the whites of his mask narrowing. He probably thought we were planning something full of evil and malice. Well, we would, but now wasn't the time for that.

"Oh, him?" I point at Robin with my thumb. He smacked it away. "He just wants me to get to the point and ask you stuff. For starters: why were you at Taipei? Could you explain your little mission?"

He bristled at me 'little mission' comment, but seeing the look in my eyes he stopped. "Northern and Southern Rhelasia have been under peace summit. Well, the summit is now impasse. Did you see those two people surrounded by guards?" We both nodded. "The man in the tuxedo was Tseng, the Prime Minister of South Rhelasia. The other was Singh Manh Li, the Prime Minister of North Rhelasia. Those two, as you've seen, aren't exactly buddies. They'd agreed though, to bring in a neutral arbitrator. I heard a rumor that an assassin was coming in to, well, assassinate the arbitrator. Now that I've learned who the arbitrator is and who the assassin is, I want to find out why Cheshire was assigned to kill Lex Luthor and what the League of Shadows is after."

"Do you want our help?" I asked in a quiet and innocent voice.

"No!" He snaps, waving his hand swiftly as if swiping away the prospect of that. "I can do it on my own." Just as he reaches the door he says coldly, "Have fun in prison." Then he slams it shut.

Robin and I look simultaneously at each other. "Doesn't he know we can get out of here in either a subtle way or with a bang?" I say voicing both our thoughts, "Idiot for taking it alone."

* * *

There's a sudden boom and the choppy sound of a helicopter. I look at Robin through the corner of my eye with my eyebrow raised. "Ready?"

ROBIN

Security in Taipei is awful. I mean, at least get rid of our weapons. I know this cell is designed for interrogation, but c'mon. Escape was easy. All I did was take a kunai and cut a part of the bars out. Once I'd slipped out, Whisper placed the bar pieces in; I'd cut them at an angle so they'd be able to be put back in and stay there. Trust me, slipping through the tiny window was not easy, but I was small and flexible so it worked. I ended up using the space between the bars as a ledge to stay up.

I looked mournfully through the window. I didn't like leaving Whisper, especially since it was prison. I knew he could get out, but it still hurt. Whisper was sitting on the bench with his hands behind his head, his face expressionless. He caught my look and smirked. "Don't look so sad, Rob. That sort of look doesn't fit you." I scowled and moved my face out of his vision. It was out of character of me to be worried about someone, to even _care _about someone. But Whisper was one of the first people that I've actually liked. He's grown on me. "I'll be fine." The speedster continued, "I have to stay here to ward off guards." His mouth twisted into a frighteningly mischievous grin. "I'm going to be very creative about this."

I nodded at him. Then I used my grappling hook to swing onto windowsill on windowsill until I was on the roof. My mouth instantly formed a silent swear, and I darted from view. Red Arrow was there. This was reconnaissance. I was not to interfere. At least that's how my brain processed this little expedition. Well, too bad brain. If Red Arrow's life is in danger I'm stepping in.

At least that's what I told myself. You could never be too sure with the way I was raised.

Anyway, Red Arrow was knee-deep in red foam, that only Whisper would be able to identify on sight, and staring up at the sky and then back at a small device in his hand. Abandoned weapons scattered the rooftop. I followed his gaze and dully noticed the fading presence of a helicopter. It'd come a while ago, so I was used to it. My guess was Cheshire escaped, but not before a small fight happened. I wished I had Whisper's vision right now. He would probably be able to see who was in the helicopter if there was an accomplice with Cheshire.

I shook my head clear of the thoughts. I needed to focus on the mission. I did reconnaissance best.

There was one other thing I was better at, but that information is irrelevant.

I followed Red Arrow soundlessly. The guy has absolutely no observation skills whatsoever. I swear I gave him over a million chances to see him in the span of like 30 minutes. It killed me. I wanted to die of humiliation. Never had I made so many mistakes before. Yes, it was on purpose, but god! It was all for nothing! Once we'd stopped, I thought I was going to break down and cry for two reasons.

I had never been one of make mistakes. Purposely making them killed me.

Red Arrow's complete obliviousness was enough to make God swear at him.

Though I do admit the guy was rather focused on his task, and the mistakes I may have made might've been not big due to the fact I was used to staying hidden. Oh, well.

The place we stopped at was a Japanese **(A/N: I think it's Japanese.)** style dojo was laid out and had everything albeit, it had red double doors. The earth on the outside of the dojo dropped down steeply to the pond surrounding it.

That's where I was. I had my back against the wall and I was facing the water. My breath was matching the small wave sounds, and my body was hidden in the shadows. My eyes were closed. There was no point having them open considering I couldn't see them. Unless I suddenly gained x-ray vision, I wouldn't be able to see them. I knew though that Red Arrow was somewhere above me on the roof.

"Did you have to make such a flashy exit?" Cheshire asked angrily, "You really make me want to kill you." A male voice laughed.

"You wouldn't succeed even if you tried." I frowned. I knew that voice. It was Sportsmaster. Just perfect.

"Knock it off." My eyes snapped open. Every fiber in my body was screaming for me to bolt. I took a slow silent deep breath and forced myself to stay. I couldn't stop my mouth from forming a snarl. Good thing I'm mute. What was Ra's al Ghul doing here?! I knew he was part of the League of Shadows but why was he in Taipei. I doubt it was because he liked the city. Just to be sure, I pulled down my facemask and put on a blank black mask that only had three horizontal slits in it: one for my mouth and two for my eyes.

"Master," Cheshire greeted.

"Cheshire, I'm disappointed in you." Ra's continued, "You failed your mission. Not acceptable. Lex Luthor has survived and will remain a thorn in my side. The assassination was supposed to ensure the failure of the peace summit. After all, peaceful nations don't hire the Shadows. And the Shadows aren't supposed to leave traces for those to follow like _that _boy."

I heard a whooshing sound followed by a clanging one. I deduced that Red Arrow shot an arrow and someone had deflected it. Then there was a bunch of clanging, grunts, metal ringing, and thuds. A cloud of dust exploded on one of the towers. Then it stopped. My eyes snapped open and I looked up. I could see a dot of red, Red Arrow. I rolled my eyes. That was quick to get cornered.

"I hear you go by Red Arrow now," Sportsmaster scoffed, "more like _broken arrow._" Alarm shot through me as I saw Red Arrow's stance relax. I hurried my steps of retrieving my suction cups and wrapping them onto my hands and feet. Then I started climbing. I mentally cursed as Red Arrow's form showed he was speaking. He was revealing information! This is just what Master had warned me about. But this was also good information. Master would be pleased.

I was climbing up the wall in a way it seemed spiderlike. Red Arrow was revealing our weaknesses and strengths. All of which I already knew. I smirked when he got to Whisper, Tempest, and me. Fortunately there was limited information. I didn't miss Sportsmaster's and Cheshire's confused glances at our names. They probably were confused and thought we were still with them.

I jumped onto the roof slamming the flat of the suction up down on Red Arrow's head. The word 'hyper-active' was cutoff. I inwardly smirked at who he was probably talking about. My eyes weren't on the archer though. I was staring right into Sportsmaster's eyes. His eyes had widened in surprise but he recovered. "Kira!" Cheshire shouted in alarm. They were calling me killer? How pleasant.

"Kira, what a pleasure." My head snapped towards the owner of the voice. "Did the Justice League send you? After all, Red Arrow just reported the most _intriguing _news. Or did he send you? Imagine his shock at seeing his apprentice join the other side. How disappointed-"Ra's al Ghul was interrupted by a kunai whizzing not even an inch away from him. I knew my eyes were burning with something malicious. He grinned. "I see. I'll have to have a talk with your master."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Cheshire attacked. Her leg came swinging out from my left. I blocked it with my suction cup hooking it under my armpit. I then kicked out with my right leg and hooked it under her other leg. Then I tugged pulling her down with her yelping. Then I unhooked her leg and my leg and kicked her from behind with the same leg. She fell with a splash into the pond.

Red Arrow didn't even have time to fall from my earlier hit.

I caught the archer, my smirk hidden at Sportsmaster's eyes. They looked like they were going to jump out of his sockets. I set Red Arrow down gently. Then I took on the suctions and put them in one of my million pockets. I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head, taunting Sportsmaster.

The blond man growled, frustration eating away at his mental warnings about this being a bad idea. He lunged. I sighed, doesn't he realize we have limited space and we're on a _roof?_ Apparently not. I sidestepped and used his momentum to kick him in the center of his back. He flew into the water with Cheshire.

I turned around with Red Arrow leaning against me. I completely ignored the burning gaze that enveloped me entire being and left, running across roofs and leaping over the gaps. Once the gaze was out of range I relaxed a little. A pang of fear rippled from my core. Ra's was certainly going to tell him. It was part of the plan to get close to the Justice League, but he's still going to have to punish me to assure the others' worries. I rolled my shoulders to release tension. I couldn't worry about that now.

I felt Red Arrow stir and I stopped. I set him down and sat cross-legged across from him. I got out a notepad and pen, and pulled up my mask while putting away the mask. Now, I was ready for him. The whites of his mash widened and he bolted to his feet. He caught sight of me and nocked at arrow in my direction. "You!" he growled. Nice to see you too.

I gave him the notebook. The message was written in glow-in-the-dark ink so he could read it. It said: _Relax, you're away from them_. He threw the notebook at me, and I caught it with my reflexes. "What. Happened." My eyes narrowed at the demand. I didn't like being told what to do.

_The truth, or the fluffy version?_

Red Arrow frowned. He knew something bad had happened. "I remember Sportsmaster saying 'I hear you go by Red Arrow now, more like broken arrow.' and next thing I know I'm here." He told himself. I nodded, absorbing the information. It turns out Red Arrow doesn't remember when he's giving information. So, he's not a traitor by will. The archer met my eyes. "Tell me what happened." He was calmer now.

_You better sit down. Just do it._ He sat down. _You are a traitor. _

He exploded. Maybe that wasn't the best way to put it. "What?! What do you mean I'm a traitor! I've never betrayed the Justice League! I know I've been mad at them, and righteously so, but I would never betray them! I wouldn't even dream of it!" When he was done his rant he was standing and panting. His fists were clenched, his body tense. "How dare you accuse me of being a traitor!" Ah, so there's a mole! I knew I was good at interrogations, but I wasn't even trying now! Note to self: people tend to blurt out information when angered suddenly. That would be useful further in life. Tempest was right: you learn something every day.

Red Arrow's face turned chalk-white as his brain registered what he said. He sat down a muttered a shaky swear. _I probably shouldn't of said it like that, but you are the traitor. You just aren't conscious of it. I don't know how this happened to you, but after Sportsmaster said 'broken arrow' to you, you started revealing information. Unfortunately, I was too slow to stop Sportsmaster from giving more orders._

The archer laughed, but it held no humor. "Great. I'm a traitor."

I smacked him on his head. _Idiot_. _Remember you didn't know you were doing it._

He whirled upon me. "That doesn't make a difference! Ol- he was my family! I was alone and he gave me a family! I know this for certain! How could I betray my family!?"

Well this is going to give my hand cramps, but I have to get Red Blabber-mouth here to stop ranting. _Listen, you may have betrayed them but you never did it on purpose. As you said before, he, whoever 'he' is, is your family. I bet you would never betray them willingly. Now, this whole 'betrayal thing' can stay between the two of us. Do you trust me?_

He looked up from the notebook in disbelief. Okay, apparently he didn't trust me. If I was Whisper in his mask, he'd make pouty eyes and start fake crying while wailing something like, "Why?! Why don't you trust me, Red Arrooooow!"

Fortunately I wasn't Whisper.

I snatched the notebook from his grasp and furiously wrote in it. I shouldn't have left the holo-computer at Mt. Justice. If I knew I was going to have to communicate so much, I would've brought it and saved my hand from cramps. The plan was to help Red Arrow and let Whisper do all him animated talking. I never counted on getting arrested (Thank you, Whisper!)!

_Thanks. You have so much confidence in me. But I can understand why you wouldn't trust me. We just met and I have to admit, we are very suspicious. But please, if anything happens, at least trust me with this. _I was such a liar. I was probably going to hell when I die. I'm an awful person. _You just need to calm down. You and I can figure this mess out, but for now just lock it up. It's not important._

He sighed. "Fine," he said reluctantly, "I'll trust you, only you though."

"Aww, Red Arrow doesn't trust me! Why does he love you, Robbie!"

Red Arrow jumped. I tilted my head and looked over the archer's shoulder. Whisper stood on the edge of the roof with a put-off expression on his face. I raised a hand in greeting, ignoring the nickname. Were we on the roof of the prison? I didn't even notice. Maybe it's my insomnia catching up with me. I haven't slept in several days after all. Whisper tries to keep up with me to keep me company, but in the span of five days he sleeps at least ten hours in total while I sleep none. Though, it is touching he wishes to keep me company.

"Don't do that!" Red Arrow hissed.

Whisper cocked his head. "Do what?" he said in a picture of innocence. Red Arrow put his face in his hands.

Then he lifted them. "Wait! Aren't you supposed to be in prison?"

"Oops?" Whisper shrugged. I smirked.

"Oops?" Red Arrow screamed, "Oops?!" He ran at Whisper who yelped and ran in a streak of black. "Do you want the Taipei police after us?!" The two ran across rooftops screaming at each other comically.

I sighed, picked my fingernails, and stared at the moon.

* * *

I'd gotten Red Arrow to calm down eventually and not attempt murder on the speedster (Meaning I let them run for another half hour.) and Whisper and I went back into the cell while Red Arrow went to see if he could get them to_ legally _release us. During that time I found out that Whisper had not heard anything else besides that last line. It helped that half the conversation was on paper; paper that was promptly burned by a lighter while Red Arrow and Whisper were playing tag.

We were in the cell for at most ten minutes when an officer with Red Arrow walked through the door. He spoke a short rapid sentence and left. Red Arrow unlocked the cage. "They're letting you out." Gee, I couldn't tell.

He set off at a fast pace. As we walked past a cell that had a hole blasted through the wall and yellow caution tape blocking it, he caught us up with what was happening. "The Rhelasian leaders aren't happy about Cheshire's assassination attempt. So, Lex set up a traditional tea ceremony. I still think Cheshire or Sportsmaster will try to kill Lex again. That's why I'm standing by as a guard. I want you two to stay in the shadows and keep an eye out for any assassins."

"Define 'keeping an eye out for assassins.'" Whisper said. Red Arrow shot him a glare and continued.

"That is your specialty right? At least for Robin it is."

"Hey!" Whisper protested, "I can be stealthy!" Red Arrow looked at him in disbelief, which softened when he saw my nod of confirmation. I wasn't going to lie; Whisper _was_ named 'Whisper' for a reason.

And that is how I ended up in another great hall. This time though, I was hiding near the ceiling in the shadows of a pillar (What's with all these decorative pillars?! Rhelasia needed to get some different variety.) This hall had reflective gold walls and was thinner in width. The floor was carpeted dark green, and along the walls were various giant, gold, Asian statues. The tea ceremony was on a long table at the end of the hall with Lex Luthor, the Rhelasian prime ministers, and other people in the centered one with paparazzi snapping pictures left and right in front of them. Two statues of gold lions facing each other were at the ends of the table. Like the rest of the statues, they were giant.

I'd swathed my head in a translucent, black cloth leaving only my eyes uncovered. Red Arrow was standing behind the table between the lion statues with other guards. Whisper was all the way near the entrance in the corner of the room between a pillar and the wall. From his posture, I bet he was playing Angry Birds on his iPod (It was a part of his cover as the hyper-active speedster.). Even though the room was gigantic, Whisper's eyes have always been stronger than the average human being. Maybe it's a speedster thing, but he can see farther than the human eye and doesn't need any sort of eye protection when he's running.

Anyway, the Prime Ministers' were arguing. I was blocking all unnecessary noise out, my eyes scanning every inch of the place.

Then I saw it: A woman rolling a cart towards the table in a Chinese red dress and her face painted white. I'd recognize that body anywhere. I unclipped the belt that connected me to the ceiling and launched myself at the woman. A normal person would've been terrified at the prospect, but I was no normal wind hit my face harshly and several people screamed as they saw me: a flying black figure. A was barely a foot away when Cheshire saw me. Her eyes widened and only highly trained reflexes saved her from being beheaded. She darted to the side and my tanto slammed through the cart. I saw a red button flash and years of experience told me it was danger. Before I could process what I was doing, I'd pushed the cart so it was facing a wall and kicked it fiercely. It rolled at a high-speed towards my target. I ran to it and gave it another kick- roundhouse this time. It crashed though the wall and science kept it high in the air. Within the short span of time of it being still aloft, it exploded. Two sounds broke out: a large boom that made my ears ring and a giant shattering sound as the wall collapsed-neither helping my ears and both overpowering the screams and yells as pandemonium erupted. I was thrown back and crashed down. Pain exploded everywhere, but was stronger in my back. Great, I'd probably cut it from the pieces of the wall as I fell. I bounced off my back and crashed again on my stomach. This time something broke my fall. When my vision returned I was greeted my Cheshire shoving my off roughly.

A wicked grin grew on her face as she realized who was in front of her. She drew a sai and threw it at me, at point-blank. There was no way I was dodging that. I briefly wondered if I was going to die, and if I survived what my handicap would be. A flash a red appeared in my peripheral vision and a red arrow knocked the sai down. As Cheshire shot a glare at Red Arrow, I back flipped, kicking her sharply in the jaw and landing in a crouch. During it, my hearing returned slowly and I heard Red Arrow's voice shout, "Idiot! Get in here and help her friend!" With a responding, "Wait a moment! I'm almost done this level! Curse you green piggies!"from Whisper. And then, "What? Do I even want to know? Just get in here! We don't have a moment!"

They have such a lovely relationship.

My ears perked at the choppy noise of a helicopter. My head snapped towards the hole the bomb had created. Sure enough, a helicopter was there with a squadron of black clothed men including Sportsmaster. They left the helicopter, and guards entered the battle field, but they were going to be more of a nuisance than help. Just then a black streak with blond top zigzagged through the squadron, effectively taking most of them out. "Need help?" Whisper smirked at Red Arrow who'd walked down to be next me.

I thought the archer was going to respond smartly, but he said, "Take Sportsmaster! Cheshire is mine."

"So territorial," Cheshire said, "And only on our third date."

"Woah!" Whisper exclaimed, "You guys are dating?!"

"No!" Red Arrow snapped at him.

Cheshire put a hand to her chest. "I'm so hurt, Red Arrow. I thought you loved me."

"Shut up!" he snarled and shot an arrow at her. She jumped out of the way as the arrow exploded. Then they both started to fight. I tried to stand up and my vision swam and my hearing faded and then out. I crouched back down placing a hand on the floor to steady myself. I hate giant bombs.

I felt a hand and my shoulder and nearly beheaded the owner of it only stopping an inch away. Whisper barely flinched; his mask was off. "You okay?"

I nodded my head and winced at the sudden dizziness. I unwrapped my head and felt the back of it then brought it to my face. It was red. I rewrapped my head. At least the cloth that was originally used for camouflage can be a bandage. Then something hit my chest. "Rob!" Whisper yelled.

I opened my eyes. Oh great, it's Sportsmaster. "You and I have a score to settle." He snarled angrily pulled his fist back for another punch. When he released it, I moved to my left, effectively dodging it. Then I brought my legs up in a straddle and slammed the heels of my feet on either side of his head. He threw it back and screamed. I took this opportunity to roll backwards and then throw a kunai. It embedded itself in his shoulder causing another yell. He yanked it out throwing it back at me. I moved slightly so it flew mere inches by my head and grabbed it by the loop at the end of the handle. I then shoved it back it its pouch after wiping off blood. Then he drew a small hammer. I arched an eyebrow and drew out a bo-staff. We exchanged blows, his hammer more powerful than me, but my agility and speed with a smaller weapon hitting him and dodging the hammer. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Red Arrow and Cheshire doing the same with different weapons. The difference in our fights is I'm holding back.

Whisper was taking out the squadron. I think he could feel he wasn't needed in our fights against the professionals. I would've watched him longer to see his progress, but an object approaching rapidly in my peripheral put my focus back to Sportsmaster. "Stop holding back!" he yelled with a thrust from his hammer. Oh, he noticed? Maybe he's smarter than I give him credit for. Maybe it was the lack of perspiration from my part while he was sweating buckets. He threw his hammer down at me with both hands. I put both of my hands on either side of my bo-staff and forced it under the giant part of the hammer so it stopped it."Maybe this will make you focus: there's a traitor amidst you."

I forced my eyes to widen. That was right. Red Arrow was passing on information unwillingly, and Sportsmaster didn't know it was me who stopped Red Arrow earlier because I'd put on a mask. This was just too good. Unfortunately, Ra's al Ghul probably knew it was me.

Sportsmaster laughed, jumping back away from me. "Didn't expect that, did you?" I forced myself to have a look of shock and start shaking.

"Whisper!" Red Arrow shouted, let's finish this. The speedster nodded and started weaving his way around the allies and the enemies. Slowly, he herded them together. Then he let himself act as a regular speedster. When I say 'regular speedster,' I mean he allowed himself the vacuum of wind that happens when he runs. Soon a tornado formed with them in the center. Whisper directed the tornado to the hole the bomb had formed and stopped running. The tornado dissipated out the window. The squadron screams echoed through the air as they fell to their deaths. I turned away, closing my eyes.

When I opened them, Whisper was smiling cockily with his arms crossed. "Who's next?" he asked looking between Cheshire and Sportsmaster. When they didn't respond, Whisper charged them. I saw Sportsmaster's eyes dialate, and Cheshire throw down something. Smoke erupted from it and we all started coughing. A figure shot out of the smoke. Before I get throw a kunai at the assassin, a woman who'd been standing behind Luthor stepped forward. Her arm transformed into the muzzle of a gun and she fired. A sharp sound rang out and the assassin fell like a down bird.

The smoke cleared. I held my bo-staff warily as I looked around and then lowered my guard slightly. They were gone. I swiveled my head to Luthor and his… god knows what. The dignitaries were surrounding them, impressed. I wasn't and I knew for sure Red Arrow and Whisper weren't.

Everything went dark and I nearly fell over. I forced my heavy eye lids open. Whisper had caught me. With a shadow over his face his eyes looked like they were glittering. "Dude, you faced a bomb head on, faced Sportsmaster, and haven't slept in four days. When we get back to Mt. Justice, you are going to sleep." I nodded weakly. I'd been running on adrenaline this fight and Whisper was right.

"Robin are you alright?" Red Arrow had joined us.

Whisper grinned. "Rob's fine. He just needs some sleep."

The speedster helped me up and we looked at the damage. "So…" Whisper started slowly. We looked at him. "Who's going to tell Batman?" Red Arrow's face turned chalk-white. I looked at the destroyed wall and ceiling, the knocked down statues, and the scarred walls.

Oh.

THIRD POV

Lex Luthor and Ra's al Ghul clinked glasses, toasting Lex Luthor's success. "Now they will see the light." Ra's declared.

A pair of upside down eyes stared unblinkingly at the scene. Then they disappeared.

* * *

**A/N: I finally updated! I'm sorry for the lateness of it, and I have no excuse. I'm sorry but please expect them to be like this for now on. Also, I drew a wolf a couple days ago and I put it as my avatar for my profile. Could you perhaps see it and tell me your thoughts on it?**

**Please respond in any sort of way. (Even though I don't deserve it.)**

**-wolfeclipse25**

**WARNING: THE NEXT CHAPTER IS NOT GOING TO BE BASED OFF A EPISODE.**


	13. Learning

**A/N: es el 29 de Noviembre de 2012**

**I always get excited when I update a chapter or publish a story. Anyone else?**

**Is it bad that when I was looking back through my stories, I was thinking, "Why doesn't Artemis have an introduction in 'Infiltrator?" Then I remembered that I made my story so Artemis came a little before the actual YJ universe arrival of Miss Martian because I'd moved Miss Martian up and couldn't let her be alone.**

** Anyway, I'd finally figured out a proper timeline for Whisper, Robin, and Tempest, I had to make some adjustments to chapter 'Reunions.' Also, I've given the chapters names. Most will be named after the episode they were based off, but the ones I created (i.e. Reunions and Learning) I named myself with careful thought of how the episodes were named. Try to figure out why they were named the way they were.**

** I appreciate all the reviews people! I didn't get many, but you guys have had way too many false alarms for chapter 12 that you probably ignored it again so I don't blame you,**

_Italics _**mean a flashback in Tempest's POV and what Robin is saying in Robin's POV and Whisper's POV as well as the obvious italics used for grammar.**

* * *

TEMPEST

We stood in front of the three members of the Justice League. I eyed Aquaman warily. Next to me, Whisper was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. He was leaning against Robin completely ignoring Flash. He had his collar on and his head was bowed. Robin didn't look any better. His eyes were half closed and his clothes (a T-shirt and sweats) were ruffled, but at least he was standing and awake- somewhat. The ninja was facing Batman with his head tilted up, but his eyes were glazed a bit. I bet this is because of his insomnia. But, the two of them had been gone the entire night and returned with injuries. Hence why Robin had bandages wrapped around his back and head (Though, he used the bandage to also wrap around the bottom half of his face so he looked like a mummy. When Whisper pointed that out, he got kicked so I didn't say anything.). Whisper had been lucky and gotten minor scratches that healed instantly. Unfortunately, they'd returned at dawn and had been awoken at eight; so they got roughly two to three hours of sleep. Sleep Robin needed desperately.

Robin whistled, long and low. Everyone directed their attention to him. "Wha…?" Whisper mumbled. Robin whistled again. "Shut up pillow." Robin's eyes snapped open. He turned to Whisper's ears and whistled a high-pitched note that made my ears ring a bit and everyone wince. "Holy-!" Whisper never finished that sentence because Robin expertly kicked him in the head, despite the speedster being much taller than him. "Oooowwww," Whisper mumbled clutching his head.

Flash laughed. "The kid reminds me of you, Bats!"

"He is nothing like me," Batman deadpanned while the speedster laughed.

"If Robin is like Batman, then Whisper is like you, Flash." Aquaman said.

Flash frowned. "I don't get beaten by Bats easily…" he grumbled.

"Why did you wake us up?" I interrupted, "As interesting this conversation is, the others have not been awakened and as you see these two are currently sleep deprived. Do you wish for me to awaken the others?" I wanted to get away from here. I didn't want to even be in Aquaman's presence.

"That's not necessary, Ka- Aqualad." He said the last word weakly because of Robin and I sending death glares his way. I felt a surge of thanks at Robin's reaction. He knew I didn't want any of the Justice League members calling me by my name.

Whisper's response was a quiet snore on Robin's shoulder.

"We should get to the point." Batman started, "The Justice League has decided that you three should be mentored by one of them considering everyone else on the team has a mentor but you three."

A snore from Whisper and a glare from Batman towards the speedster.

I fought off a scowl. They just wanted to supervise us, make sure we don't betray them or anything. I could tell Robin was thinking the same thing at the slight furrow in his brow. "We have been chosen to be them after careful observation of your skills from your mission reports."

Whisper suddenly hugged Robin tightly. The ninja didn't pay any attention to it, but Batman's eyes narrowed. He diverted his attention between the three of us. "I did not realize there had been a mission during the night." Oh, he'd noticed Whisper's and Robin's exhaustion? Well, it was rather hard to ignore with Whisper snoring and using Robin as a teddy bear.

Suddenly, Robin elbowed Whisper in the gut. "Good morning, Mother!" he yelled. Then he looked around. "Oops…?"

Flash was too busy cracking up to care, while Batman and Aquaman sighed. Robin rolled his eyes and leaned against Whisper. His eyes told it all. _You used me as a pillow, now it's my turn._

"Whisper, tell them where you two were last night." I said. To be honest I was curious as well.

"Oh," the speedster yawned, "We went to help Red Arrow with some stuff. No big deal." I frowned. They went to help Red Arrow? But he was in Taipei last night! Did they…?

"Does this 'stuff' have to do anything with the assassination attempt on Lex Luthor at the Rhelasian peace summit, and the hundred thousands of dollars used to rebuild the summit?" Batman asked his teeth clenched.

Whisper blinked. "Well, actually in fact it does. Why?" I wanted to hide. Of course they went there! They must've heard me when I was helping Red Arrow find Cheshire! This is Robin we're talking about.

"Why didn't you write a report?" Batman sighed. He probably new if he asked why he didn't take responsibility, Whisper would avoid it somehow.

"Didn't think I needed one," Whisper replied, "It wasn't an official mission, we were just helping him. And Robin was asleep by the time we got back so he couldn't make one."

"The point is," Aquaman cut in, "we are your mentors now. We won't be training you like the other mentors if you don't want to, but if you need any sort of training or guidance we're here to help. Flash is training Whisper, Batman Robin, and I Tempest." I knew it. I was going to be matched up with Aquaman. I knew it the moment Batman opened his mouth about mentors.

"You don't have to want to be with us," Flash continued seriously, "But each of you is spending you entire day with you mentor."

"What if we don't want to?" Everyone turned to Whisper, startled. His face was void of emotion and his voice had been cold. It was totally unlike what he usually acted like. I knew that Whisper put on a mask in front of everyone else, but was this is true self?

"What do you mean?" Batman asked. I think he was wary of Whisper now.

"Really?" Whisper scoffed, "The only reason we're here is because of our deal. If we had it our way, we'd be gone out of door in a flash. But we don't break our promises, and the others don't deserve what they got. Actually, once I think about it, they would've formed a team eventually. Robin, Tempest, and I just sped up the process. Too bad we didn't think of that before we made the deal…"

Now we were all looking at Whisper with shocked, surprised expressions. Whisper's words were true, but the Justice League wasn't going to take kindly to this.

"What?" Whisper asked, "It's the truth. Though I guess it isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I really don't mind spending the day with Flash, but I just wanted to know what would happen if Tempest or Robin didn't want to go."

"You'd be under constant surveillance." Batman replied immediately. Whisper's eyes narrowed a fraction at the hidden threat. None of the three of us liked being watched.

The blond hid his anger under a grin. "Then that's the answer we were looking for."

I decided to jump in the conversation. "I would… prefer not to be with Aquaman. But if it is necessary then I shall endure a day with him." Aquaman flinched at the statement.

Batman nodded in acknowledgment at my response. "So we're in agreement?" he asked. Then we started walking off with our respected mentors.

"Hypocritical ninja," Whisper muttered with a small note of affection. I looked over to him. Robin was leaning against him, eyes closed. He was asleep. Whisper picked him up gently, bridal-style, as to not wake him up, and handed him to Batman. The dark knight nodded appreciatively and headed towards Robin's room. Flash smiled as Whisper walked towards him (Was it my imagination, or was Whisper walking rather stiffly…?) and they left the same way.

I swallowed the worst of my feelings and faced the last man in the room. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Aquaman agreed. I followed him to the Zeta Beam. My vision was temporarily blinded. I gasped in shock. A foreign, but yet familiar, feeling, like drinking a cold drink but it not going past my throat, crept through my neck. My eyes widened as I recognized the coral structure of the tunnel I was in. I took a step and my body obliged, though slower.

We were in Atlantis.

Specifically, Poseidonis.

Aquaman must have sensed my urge to bolt because he grabbed my arm. I had to resist the urge to electrify him. "Just here me out, please!" he begged.

"Kaldur?" a shocked voice asked. I froze. That couldn't be… "Is that you, Kaldur'ahm?" I turned to face the owner of the voice. It belonged to a male, teen Altlantian with dark hair tied up and a dark blue suit that had its sleeves cut off at the shoulders. Standing next to him was a pretty Atlantian girl with short red hair and a yellow belly-shirt and skirt that had neon teal highlights and a matching choker. "Neptune's beard! **(A/N: I don't really know about Atlantian swears, but I think they say this.)** It is you, Kaldur!" I stiffened when he hugged me. Then he grasped my shoulders. "I can't believe this! You're back! Hey Tula! This is Kaldur! He's the guy I told you about that disappeared one day!" He faced me again. "I knew King Orin would find you!"

"Garth…" I managed out. When I left, I didn't think Garth would miss me…

"Of course I missed you!" Garth said angrily. I must've voiced my thoughts out loud. "You were my friend. I still consider you my friend!"

"Garth, calm down." Aquman- no Orin commanded. "K-Kaldur," he looked at me worriedly, but I decided to let him off this time for using my name, "just got here. It's been five years."

"That's right!" Garth said, "We have five years of catching up to do!" I met the girl's -Tula's- eyes. Garth caught our eye contact. "I should formerly introduce you guys. Kaldur, this is Tula, a good friend." 'Good friend?' I wasn't blind, they were probably dating. "Tula, this is Kaldur, my childhood friend."

I held my hand out to her. "A pleasure to meet you,"

She accepted it. "Same here, I've heard so many things about you from Garth."

Orin put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to tell Queen Mera the news." My mind flashed to a pretty woman with long red hair tied back in a ponytail behind a gold crown. "I leave Kaldur in your hands, Garth, Tula." And then he swam away leaving me with the other two.

"Things have been different without you, Kal!" Garth said, "Want to walk down memory lane?"

* * *

I spent the next few hours catching up with Garth and learning more about Tula. They told me what happened in Poseidonis, like battles (I was awestruck Garth had faced Ocean-Master. Orin had offered him a position as Aquaman's protégé, but Garth had refused. I told him I was proud of him.), funny moments, memories (How we met and our friendship.), how the two met. When I'd asked if they were dating they got flustered.

"We're not dating!" Tula and Garth had shouted at the same time. Then they blushed bright red with embarrassment.

"Are you sure?" I teased. I'd felt like being Robin or Whisper for the moment. "Because Garth said you were good friends, but I swear-"

Garth cut me off. "That's enough of that!" he interrupted nervously while Tula hid her face, "Tell us more about Robin and Whisper."

In exchange for their stories, I'd told some. I told them I left because I wanted to see beyond Poseidonis (Which wasn't exactly a lie. I did want to see the world.) and Orin (Though I'd called him 'King Orin' when I talked about him.) didn't want me to leave so I'd left. Garth yelled at me. I could've made him stop, but I let him rant. He'd been worried about me and I deserved it. I thought he knew about my dad and wouldn't miss me, but he hadn't. After he was done I apologized.

Anyway, I'd told them about Whisper's antics, the places we visited, Robin's skill, ect. After another story about a place (The Alaskan glaciers and the aurora borealis.), Garth had smiled ruefully. And, then he told me quietly, "You were happy, huh?" I'd nodded, slightly confused, and he explained. "It's just, you were never happy here. That's the reason I first wanted to be your friend. You seemed so sad, so lonely all the time, and it didn't feel right. Why did everyone hate you? No one should grow up like that. I wanted to make you happy. When you left…" He looked down sadly, deep in thought.

Tula had met Garth around that time. They'd met at the Conservatory of Sorcery during a spar. Garth had been beaten by Tula and seemed out of it, so Tula asked about it.

She continued where Garth left off. "He was so depressed." She summed up for Garth.

"I thought I'd failed you. I thought during that time you were here, I was making you happy, and then you left."

"I _was _happy with you, Garth." I quietly tried to reassure him. "To be honest, I'd been shocked when you asked to be friends." _A six year old boy with dark hair swam up to another six year-old with darker skin and pale hair. "I'm Garth! I'm visiting from Poseidonis. What's your name?"_

_The darker skinned boy's eyes widened. "I-I'm Kaldur'ahm."_

_The dark haired boy's smile grew larger if that was even possible. "Nice to meet you, Kal! Can I call you Kal?"_

"_S-sure,"_

"_Great! My name is Garth! Let's be friends alright?" Garth continued ignoring a woman's frantic shaking of her head. She was probably his mother. _

"_F-friends?"_

"_Yeah!" Garth frowned. "Do you not have any?"_

"_N- I mean yes, I don't have any friends." Kaldur said. He seemed to curl up within himself. _

"_Well, then I'll be your first!" Garth looked up from him. The woman was calling him. "I have to go. See you tomorrow, Kal!"He then ran off leaving Kaldur stunned._

_Sha'lain'a walked over to Kaldur. "Who was that, Kaldur?" she asked gently. "What happened?"_

_Kaldur unfroze, and he smiled a genuine smile Sha'lain'a hadn't seen for the longest time. "I made a friend."_

Garth smiled. "Thanks. Whisper and Robin seem like nice people. They made you happy after all. I was so out of it then. But then Tula beat me in that spar and she didn't walk away after. She listened. And she helped me…" his voice trailed off.

"Angelfish are swimming around you," I stated smirking. **(A/N: I made this up. When I did some research, I found out that dolphins would be a better choice, but I decided to keep angelfish.)**

Garth punched me playfully, scowling saying, "Shut up," while Tula giggled but she was blushing.

Anyway, they seemed to like Whisper and Robin, laughing at Whisper's antics and eyes widening at descriptions of Robin's feats. Before I knew it, the sun's light dim, and the water was colder. An Atlantian swam over in a white with blue trimmed uniform. It was a palace guard. "Their Majesties request your presence," he said formally to us.

I nodded in acknowledgement, "Thank you," He swam away.

Garth laughed as we followed the guard. "Knowing Queen Mera, she probably set up a banquet for you."

I smiled softly. "I sincerely hope she did not. I wouldn't want her to waste time on me."

"The queen has ordered a banquet for lunch," the guard confirmed.

"Oh, Kal," Garth sighed, "You coming back after four years is not a frivolous matter. Queen Mera did like you. She was sad when you left."

That surprised me. I'd never really known the queen, only seeing her several times at the palace and the Conservatory of Sorcery. The only time I actually talked to her was once when Orin had taken me to the palace briefly. That day… That day changed my life forever. Not the part of meeting Queen Mera, but what happened that day.

The palace of Poseidonis was grand. It was huge, but not like castles on land. It looked to be made of one rectangular building, with varying roof heights from stacked buildings at the top. In the center, a tower rose. It didn't have a 'palace' look like on land, but it was still easily distinguished as royalty.

We swam though large entrance. The guard led us to a purple room with a lighter shade of purple rectangle on the walls that seemed to be glowing slightly. A pink table of coral in a pear shape was in the center. Towards the smaller part of the 'pear' was a curved bench with tall back. The guard we were following swam off and joined several others that stood sparsely, and servants in similarly colored uniforms were gathered behind the back of the bench.

On the bench were three people, Queen Mera, Orin, and another man with dark hair and a red suite that I vaguely remembered him as Orm, Orin's brother. He was telling a story with animated arm gestures and expressions. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but his voice boomed.

Queen Mera's face lit up when she saw me. "Kaldur'ahm!" she greeted waving slightly.

I bowed. She looked exactly like she did four years ago. She wore a green bikini top and skirt with translucent green cloth hooking loosely over her arms. My eyes widened. "M'lady, are you with child?!" I asked in disbelief.

Everyone's eyes widened, and Orin looked like he was going to choke on his food. Only Mera seemed unaffected by my question. "We were going to break the news today. How did you know?" she asked, smiling.

"I mean no offence, M'lady, but your abdominal area in protruding slightly. But, it is not in the way of one gaining weight, so I assumed…" My voice trailed off.

She laughed. "Clever and polite even after four years, Kaldur!" She walked over and hugged me. "It is great to see you again!"

I hugged her back slightly hesitantly. "Likewise, m'lady. You are looking well."

We released each other and sat down. It was a little unnerving having Orin and Orm glare at me harshly when they thought I didn't know. I could understand why Orin would stare at me but I hadn't done anything to Orm. Yet. He may become the enemy later on in life.

"Did you enjoy your time with Garth and Tula?" Orin asked.

I smiled softly. "Yes, it was good to see Garth and meet Tula."

Then it hit me. My thoughts were facing as Orin asked how Garth and Tula's days were. He had been… _buttering _me. Well, that was worse case scenario. He'd let me hang out with old friends in order to get my trust. I should've thought of this sooner! After all, Batman had said that our 'mentors' were supposed to be with us throughout the day, but at most Orin had spent five minutes with me so far. He wanted to get my trust, and then we'd be 'best buddies.' Either that or he genuinely wanted me to enjoy my day.

I quickly doused my flames of rage. I couldn't let anger control me. Maybe Orin meant no harm. Besides I owed him that much.

"So, Kaldur, where have you been lately?" Orm asked. Inside, I frowned. Why did his voice sound so familiar?

I ignored my doubt for the moment. "I traveled the world." I answered. I had to choose my words carefully now if I was feeling wary about Orm.

"Did you have any companions?" Queen Mera asked, "You couldn't have spent all that time alone."

An unconscious smile crept on my face and flashes of Whisper and Robin flashed through my mind. A voice rang through my head: _C'mon, Rob! We can't leave him!_

"Yes," I replied, "Not too long after I… started my journey I met Whisper and Robin."

"Oh really?" Orin said, "Please tell us about them." I felt like he was trying to pry open all my secrets.

"Whisper…" I tried to find the words to describe him, "is a funny guy. He acts like he's stupid, but he's really a science and technology genius. He has a great sense of humor that always seems to brighten things up even in the worst of times. Robin is the youngest of the three of us. But you don't want to underestimate him. He's mute so he takes the saying 'A man of few words,' literally. But he has a sarcastic sense of humor." I could've said more. A thousand words wouldn't be enough to describe those two, but I didn't want to give too much away and it would've taken too long.

"Were they strong?" Orm asked, "I would like to learn more about your companions if they were on par with someone at Atlantian-level of power."

My caution grew. "Were they strong?" Garth repeated, "They're amazing! Well, I personally never seen them in action or met them," he added when everyone gave him surprised looks, "but Kal doesn't lie. And what he's said about them is amazing." He grinned at me, and everyone else looked at me expectantly. Thank you Garth. You meant well but Orm will dig for more details now.

"Hmmm…" I had to think fast. What would be the best way to describe Whisper's and Robin's fighting styles without giving out too much. "Whisper is more of close combat. But he's fast and smart in battle and he uses arrows and a bow and arrow sometimes. It may not sound like much, but he's used that style for so long he's made it lethal. Robin uses close combat as well but he's not as muscularly strong. He uses a more martial arts style and is flexible, and also uses anything with a blade. Whisper told me once that we all use close combat but he's the guy that uses long range. Robin's the surveillance guy, and I'm the 'muscle guy' as they call me. We balance each other out."

Queen Mera smiled. "They sound nice." My mind flashed to a concerned Whisper and a Robin holding disinterested, but slightly flickering with worried eyes about someone they had just met, someone who was dirty and in an awful state.

Orm turned on me again. "Did you meet any people?" he asked in a kind voice. Note how I said his voice sounded kind. It didn't mean he was kind.

"We travelled quite a bit and yes, we did meet people, but we never hung around long enough to get formally attached to them." I was starting to feel sick inside. I didn't like him asking questions. It's not like we did illegal things, but we did do things that were… personal.

"Could you tell us about the places you've been? We don't really go above water except for Orin when he plays 'Aquaman.'" At that last comment, Orin shot a warning look at his brother.

I ignored this and smiled gently. "I'd love too, but I think I'm feeling a bit under the weather. May I go outside for fresh air briefly?"

Orin gave a curt nod. I stood. Once I'd reached the doors of the room I turned to the group and bowed in respect. The doors closed behind me and I swam as fast as I could. The air in there was getting stuffy. Garth and Tula hadn't meant it but they had been slightly encouraging Orm with his questions even though they hadn't known why he was asking. I had to escape for a moment. I reached a ledge and sat down. It was night so the ocean was dark and cool. Sparkling blue and green lights were lit up all over Poseidonis giving it a look similar to the night sky. It was quiet and that calmed me.

A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped, startled. I stood up and Tula jumped away, her hands up in surrender. "It's just me!" she said. I sat down, calmed. Tula sat down beside me. "Are you okay?" she asked. I looked over to her. She had curled into the fetal position but her head wasn't tucked in. Her short hair was waving in the ocean current and the lights of Poseidonis made everything about her glow literally. No wonder Garth fell for her.

"I'm fine. It's just I hadn't been here for a while and all the questions…" My voice trailed off. It wasn't far from the truth at least. In fact, I wasn't even lying.

"It was too much." Tula concluded. "The king and queen kind of just dumped everything on you at once."

"Yes," I agreed.

Tula nodded and stared out into the view. "It really is beautiful, isn't it?" she commented. I didn't know how to respond so I just nodded. "When Garth first told me about you, I was confused." She started, "I couldn't understand why someone would want to leave Atlantis. It was where we belonged! I never told Garth that though. Actually, when I met you today, I planned on demanding why you would leave. But then you talked about the wonders land and Whisper and Robin and I realized that even though Atlantis was greater in size than the land above, the land above was greater in experience." She faced me smiling ruefully. "I had no intention of leaving Atlantis, but now I would like to one day. Not now, but one day…" Her voice trailed off.

"Maybe, when that one day happens, I can show you around with Garth, Whisper, and Robin. It'll be a road trip."

"What's a road trip?"

"It's when you travel at a slower pace so it makes you see all the sights on your route." I couldn't explain what an airplane was or a car.

"A road trip sounds nice." She agreed. "I don't know why you left, but I think there's more than just King Orin not letting you leave." She was smart. "I won't pry though. I just want you to know that whatever happens, Garth and I will be there for you, so don't take anything personal." Tula stood and held out her hand. "We should go back."

I took it and we started heading back. "Thank you; I can see why Garth loves you."

Her face turned bright red and for the rest of dinner she refused to answer why to anyone else.

* * *

ROBIN

The wind blew through my hair making the warm, early September day have a cool edge. I smirked. It's already been almost two months since we joined the Team. I'd gotten rid of the bandages on my head after deeming my head healthy enough to operate normally, and had changed into my 'mission clothes' when Batman had said not to go in 'civies' (I still wasn't used to the terms.). Currently, I was sitting on the edge of a skyscraper, the whizzing wails of cars beneath me. At first, Batman had protested on my sitting position, but I'd reassured him I was find. I remember I used to have a fear of heights. That fear only lasted for two and a half months.

When, I'd woken up, I'd found myself in my bed with Batman staring at me. It was a good thing I didn't have a voice or I would've sworn up a storm. He saw I was awake, and said to get changed. Then we left via Zeta Beam and went up a skyscraper to where we were now.

It was silent. Usually I was fine with silence, but this was slightly unnerving. It made me wish I'd brought my iPod with me. Batman was in the shadows to the shed that was the door to the roof fiddling with his holo-computer. Not that we took the stairs. Batman had handed me a grappling hook and left with his. When I'd caught up to him, he'd given me an approving nod.

I had a pretty good idea of what we were doing, but I asked anyway. I walked over to him and signed, _What are we doing?_

"We're keeping an eye out for trouble. We are on a skyscraper because we can see the most on higher ground and this one is in the plaza of Gotham. Also, I've hacked the security cameras. So we just look for trouble and wait for the cameras to tell us anything." He replied. I nodded in acknowledgement.

There was another lull and I felt like it was going to be like this for the rest of the afternoon when Batman's holo-computer snapped shut with a _click_. I felt his eyes staring at me, but I ignored him, averting my gaze to the pedestrians. Oh look! A woman with a neon pink flamingo hat! The things you see in the city.

The glare felt like it was burning holes in my clothes, but I endured. Finally Batman spoke. "What tempted you to come to interfere with Miss Martian and Artemis in the first place?"

At first I was thinking, "What the heck is he talking about?" Then I remembered July 4th and how we helped Artemis and Miss Martian at Cadmus. _They felt inferior. We wanted to help them. _I signed.

"What do you mean 'inferior?'" Batman frowned at me.

I frowned as well, though not at him. It was at how I was going to explain this. I took out my notebook and wrote in it. _Have you ever had a protégé? _Batman looked at me and shook his head. _Then you wouldn't understand. When you promised them a show of the Justice League HQ, they took it to heart. When it turned out to be just the public JL HQ, it hurt. They'd thought you'd trusted them and they'd thought they'd done enough to _deserve_ your trust._ I underlined 'deserve' three times.

Batman opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a beeping noise coming from his holo-computer that was followed by a loud boom. He frowned and opened it up. I could see what was on it in reverse, and from what I saw, there was an explosion. That made sense from the boom. I ran to the edge of the room and looked over the edge. A billow of smoke had exploded from a skyscraper and the people who had been walking calmly just minutes ago were now screaming and running. The skyscraper itself was in danger of falling with support. My throat tightened. If that skyscraper collapsed… My mind flashed to several destroyed buildings and flashing lights of the fire department and ambulance and the sorrowful cries of the people over their lost ones.

I grabbed Batman's cape without any remorse or regret of the absolute end of my life and dragged him to the edge. I pointed at the skyscraper and whatever scolding's the dark knight had vanished and were replaced with narrowing eyes. He reached into his belt and withdrew a phone. After punching in numbers he started talking rapidly into it. I suppose he was calling the fire department, police, ambulance, ect.

When I looked back out over the edge, a new smoke was slowing coming out of the building like fog and with a _hiss. _Then I heard a terrible, screeching, high-pitched sound that was also unbelievably bubbly in an awful way and made me cringe.

It was laughter.

It was a new kind of laughter to me. Before, I'd only known of two types of laughter: the happy kind, and the kind that only appears when the situations just so bad you don't know what else to do. Now I knew a third, that kind made by the Joker.

I'd heard of the Joker. Who hasn't? He was Batman's arch nemesis and a real crackhead. I mean cracked. Or both. Who knew? He was mentally unstable and caused havoc with glee everywhere he went. I was taught more, but that was long ago and my… mentor didn't really go much into him. He said it wasn't important to know.

I grabbed my grappling hook, ignoring Batman's protests, and jumped off. My head swam and felt nauseous at the swift movement, but I ignored it and it passed. I swung across the street to the other skyscraper across, but instead of going up the roof, I stopped on the wall and started repelling down. Once I'd reached the ground, I put on a gas mask-just in case; after all I didn't know for sure if the gas was causing the laughter- and weaved myself through the rushing crowd. Have you ever tried running up an escalator that went down? The feeling I had was like that. The crowd was going one way, I was going the other. The building that had exploded was getting closer with slow progress. Then the crowd was gone and it was just me, several bodies with crazy grins on their faces, flashing lights, and the raising, and echoing cackle coming from within the smoke.

A tall, lanky man with short, messy green hair walked out of the gas. He seemed totally unaffected by it. "Now now, darling," Joker said, "did you see their faces?" I didn't like his voice. Whisper once said that Cheshire's voice always sounded like she was plotting something not good. Joker's voice was like that but held a soft, crazed edge to it like everything morbid was hysterical. He suddenly ran past me to a fallen body. My eyes widened when he completely ignored me. I turned around. He was cradling the man's head with both hands. He then stroked the man's cheeks with his thumbs. Fear was flickering like a dying fire desperate to live in the man's eyes; completely contradictory to his expression.

"Look at him!" Joker exclaimed, "He looks positively entertained!" He stood up and put at hand to his chin. "I think this was a hit." A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Should we do it again?" he asked to no one, "But, it seems kind of… Now what's that word?"

"What word, sir?" The voice that spoke sounded like it belonged to one of those stereo-type popular blonds and held some sort of southern accent. A woman wearing a skimpy, black and red two-piece outfit walked out as well. But, she also wore a domino mask unlike the Joker, and half her hair was red while the other was black.

"Hmmm," Joker said, "It's a word that describes something that's used a lot…" He turned to me and pointed sharply. "Hey, you!" I blinked in surprise. "Yes, you! Do you know what word I'm talking about?" I hesitantly shook my head. "Oh, well." He started to walk back towards the woman when he stopped. He turned sharply towards me again. "Whoa! When did you get here? Harley, who is this kid?"

The woman- Harley Quinn I remembered- answered, "I dunno, Mistah J, I think he's always been here."

"Really?" Joker said. He looked at me. "Are with Batsie? Oooh! Is Batsie here?!"

I didn't get a chance to respond. Smoke exploding with multiple hisses. It was like when the gas came out. Joker and Harley soon disappeared from my vision, but I could still hear them. "Do ya think this means Batsie is here, Mistah J?" Harley asked.

"Most likely," Joker responded, "Batsie, come out please!"

My eyes widened as I was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled backwards. My hand flew to one of my pockets, but a Kevlar covered hand stopped it. Dang it! How had I let my guard down like this! I couldn't believe myself! I'd have to pu-

"Calm down." A voice whispered. I instantly recovered. _I'm going to kill you Batman, _I thought. But I couldn't kill him. Instead I slammed my heel on his providing me a satisfying hiss of pain. Batman released me and I pulled away instantly. I faced him. _Where were you?!_ I signed.

"I was observing the scene." I gave him a look of disbelief. "I had to see what Joker was aiming for." he defended himself.

"I think I see him!" Harley's voice rang out. I looked around. The smoke was slowly clearing.

Batman grabbed my arm, which I pulled away. "I need you to distract them. Then I'll strike." He was making me a diversion. Yippie.

I nodded in agreement anyway and Batman left. Then it was just me, Joker, and Harley again. This time though, I charged straight towards Joker. I withdrew some kunai and struck. Two jackknives appeared in his hands and blocked my kunai. I jumped in a back flip, kicking his jaw upwards with a sound smack. My back protested against the sudden movement. "Mistah J!" Harley screamed dramatically while Joker rubbed his jaw. I smirked at him, not that he could see it through my mask, but he could see my eyes.

"Hey, Harls! I think I figured out the word! It's trite… I think." He shrugged, "Whatever." He turned to me. "So you are with Batsie!" he shouted in a sort of demented glee, "You should've just said so in the beginning!" He frowned then and straightened his purple suit. "You didn't have to hit-kick- whatever!- me! I wouldn't have caused too much damage…" Then his frown deepened. "I really don't like your eyes. They're taunting me. But I do like you. Maybe if we remove those eyes…"

Great. He wanted to remove my eyeballs from their sockets.

Joker suddenly fell face-first into the ground. "Mistah J!" Harley screeched. Ow, now my ears ring. Harley charged at me with a knife similar to Joker's and threw it. I easily dodged it, swinging my head to it faced the passing knife with the momentum. I took a step back, and that saved my life as an arm came striking where my head had been. I kicked my leg up immediately without thinking. It smacked against Harley's arm. Then I jumped switching legs, and using the new leg to roundhouse kick her. A quick jab at her pressure point knocked her out.

"Harley!" Joker screamed, putting his hands to his face in horror. Then he shrugged indifferently. "Oh who cares about her? She talks too much." I frowned. Harley wasn't an angel, but she didn't deserve the treatment Joker gave her.

Joker's moment of talking caused him to be punched in the chest by Batman, making him fly several feet away. The hero looked at the purple-clad man, frowning. When he remained on the ground, he started to walk away. But I narrowed my eyes, glaring at Joker.

Suddenly, Joker let out a wheezing laugh, his chest rising rapidly with it. He lifted his head revealing a maniac grin on his face. "That knocked me off my feet!" He exclaimed. Then he threw a dagger. It whistled as it split the air, and without thinking, I reached out and plucked it out of the air. The momentum of it pulled me forward a bit, but I stopped it. Then there was a second whistling sound, and I turned out to meet another dagger in the chest.

Pain shot through me, and my arms instinctively went to the wound. I started to strike Joker, but Batman reached him first.

It was brutal. I'd never seen Batman act like this; not on the news, not in newspapers, nothing. He grabbed Joker by the throat. The villain chuckled weakly. "What? Is Lil' Batsie important to you? What's his name by the way?" Batman's grip tightened, and Joker audibly choked. A bluish tinge was appearing on his white-painted face.

"Mistah J!" a voice wailed by me, as Harley, who'd regained consciousness, ran forward. I ended that with a bolas though. My side screamed at the movement, and I hissed with the pain.

"Don't worry, darling," Joker choked out, "I'm not going to die." He then saw Batman's eyes, and fear flickered across his face. "Am I?" he said fearfully.

I grabbed Batman's arm. He looked sharply at me, but his features relaxed once he realized it was me. I shook my head weakly. The pain was getting to me. Batman pulled Joker towards him. "I'm not a murderer." He snarled quietly. Joker let out a small laugh, and then Batman through his down. I instantly struck out with my index and middle finger at pressure points. Joker's eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

I took this next moment to examine my wound. It was located in my bottom right abdomen, and despite the expertise of the throw, it wasn't deep. The blade was about… three to six inches? Only about half was in. It would heal quickly.

I took out a roll of bandages, and then slowly put my hand near it. If the blade was going to come out, it needed to be done quickly and smoothly. I couldn't pull it out at an angle, just along the route it came in backwards. Just as my hand was about to close around the blood-covered handle, a bigger hand closed itself over it.

I glared at Batman. He ignored me and said, "Let me take care of it." I wanted to protest and tell him I've been stabbed before and could handle it, but before I could he pulled it out smoothly.

Rapidly, I grabbed the bandages and wrapped around my entire waist tightly. Batman moved to help, but I slapped his hand away. He'd removed the knife, I could handle the bandages. When I was done, Batman's attention was focused on the jackknife on the ground. I think he was a little miffed that a boy of 13 had slapped _the Batman's _hand away.

I turned on my holo-computer after securing the bandages. A spot of dark red-brown had appeared and was slowly stopping in growth on it. Batman looked at me, incredulous. "Where did you get that?" he asked.

I opened Microsoft Word and typed, _Artemis gave it to me. Said Green Arrow had given it to her, but she thought I'd have better use for it._

Actually, I was supposed to give it back, but Artemis never brought it up and neither did I. Shhh…

Batman frowned. _How many times has he frowned lately?,_ I wondered briefly, _A lot of times. I feel bad for the guy._ I pulled myself out of my thoughts and looked at the building Joker had bombed. It was… a computer lab. I felt a sense of chagrin. I can't believe a building had almost collapsed, _civilians_ were injured, and _I _was stabbed all for a computer lab building! I felt like slapping Joker for planning such a stupid heist- no I felt like slapping _Batman_ for dragging me into this mess- but I contained myself. There was probably an ulterior motive behind this. Joker was crazy, not stupid.

_Okay, tell me why Joker targeted this place. 'Cuz it's not like I like getting stabbed for the heck of it. It's not like it hurts or anything._ I emphasized my message by rolling my eyes and giving him a death-glare.

The dark knight picked up the jackknife and put it in one of his pouches. Then he looked around. Pedestrians were started to come back, and all the injured had been cleared. A grey van had appeared, and was finishing putting Harley in it and was now moving to Joker. News vans were starting to drive up, and cameras were flashing. A trickle of dread ran through me. I didn't like publicity. Batman started to walk away with a swish of his cape. "We have to go. I'll explain once we're in privacy." He looked at me for acknowledgement, not that I had a choice though. I nodded anyway, and followed him through the growing crowd.

"Batman! Batman!" cries rang out. White spots flashed across my eyes, blinding me. I somehow managed to navigate following only Batman's silhouette.

"What did Joker want this time?" a reporter asked.

"How did you defeat him this time?" another asked.

Cat Grant pushed her way through. "Who is the boy next to you?" she asked.

You could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly everybody's attention was on me. "Who are you?," "Where did you come from?," "What compelled you to become Batman's sidekick?" Questions were bombarded on me. Unfortunately, but fortunately for me, I couldn't respond even if I wanted to, which I didn't. I almost got swarmed by the people, but Batman clamped his hand tightly around my wrist and pulled me him so close to him I was stepping on his heels. Most was vision was obscured by his cape. _Hello cape, _I thought sourly, _cape, meet my face. Face meet cape._

"Just ignore him. He did nothing useful," I felt a little offended. "but did nothing inadequate. Just ignore him. He can't answer your questions anyway."

That only served to excite the reporters even more, but eventually, Batman got me to his… Bat-Mobile? I didn't want to know. The glass covering that curved up and over in an oval arch opened smoothly, and Batman jumped over the side and into the driver's seat. I hesitantly got in the passenger's seat and slowly put my seatbelt on. The glass covering slid back over, making the noises muffled. The covering had a dark tinting to it. The vehicle was small inside, and dark, but still held enough room for you to sit comfortably. I looked back behind the seats; it was small, just enough for three people to sit but a little cramped. The dashboard was covered with flashing lights and buttons.

Batman put the car in drive and the people started to clear out so they wouldn't be run over. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing them run over, but that wasn't my call and I don't think Batman would be pleased. Whisper would've said to grab the wheel, hit the gas and go for it, but then I'd remind his that it was _people_ I wanted to run over and then he'd shrug and speed right by them instead of over them. While this happened, Tempest would sigh in the backseat and carefully secure his seatbelt while getting ready for the cops to come.

I smiled faintly at my prediction. Batman didn't look at me, but then again my smile was hidden.

I stared out the window watching the scenery change. My hand farthest from Batman was playing with the handle of a kunai. I ran my thumb over the edge, feeling the sharpness, and keeping a hand on it. Where were we going? I didn't feel comfortable about this, but then again going to someplace new never made me feel comfortable. I was always like this. Even when we were nearing Washington D.C. to hack the computer, I was nervous. People could jump us any moment and we'd never know how strong they were or when they'd attack us!

Don't mind me; I'm just more paranoid than Batman.

The Bat-Mobile (I still hate that name…) pulled up towards a black-iron gate. Behind it was a Victorian styled, red-brick mansion. On the wall next to the gate, it said "Wayne Manor." My mind flashed to facts about Gotham City. Wayne… _Bruce Wayne,_ I recalled, _He's a billionaire for his industrial services and is known for being a play-boy. _If this mansion had "Wayne Manor" on it, then it must be the residence of Bruce Wayne. The question is why were we here?

As if answering my questions, Batman started to speak. "This is the home of Bruce Wayne. As a major person in Gotham City, he's made it so he had formally met the 'hero' as they put it of Gotham City. He saidhis doors were always open to me and I could set up my base nearby on his property." The hero turned to me, observing my reaction. I kept my expression neutral: a little surprised, but normal. To be honest, I didn't believe that. My eyes widened as realization dawned on me, and I was forced to not look at Batman with shock. He purposely left me clues to his identity! The corner of my mouth twitched upwards. I had no idea why Batman would trust me with this knowledge, but at least he would be pleased.

Batman drove the Bat-Mobile under an opening part of the driveway, and fluorescent, white lights flicked on revealing solid, grey concrete walls. The room we arrived in was large and airy, holding a cave-like appearance to it. A skeleton of a T-Rex stood in the corner and along another wall were lit up tubes holding spare costumes. The other wall was curved, and on it were several rectangular windows showing a training gym. In front of it was a giant holographic screen with several smaller screens around it and a large desk full of buttons in front of it.

Batman strode over to the desk and pulled out the chair, sitting in it. I jumped on the edge of the desk so I was balancing on the balls of my feet when I couldn't find another chair. After a few minutes of complete silence, excluding the clicking sounds of buttons being hit, Batman diverted his attention from a small screen that'd activated in front of him.

"Stop staring at me," he said in a flat voice.

I made a face, not that he could see it. I turned my back to him, powering up my holo-computer. Then I searched for a USB plug, grinning when I found one. I plugged the computer in and started fiddling. Codes of various numbers popped up, and starting rolling down the screen at a frightening speed. I could read it though, and I quickly deciphered it and then slowly by-passed the security as to not alarm it. Just as I'd finished, a beep rang through the cave, causing another frown to find its way onto Batman's face. I quickly looked over my shoulder to see what his screen was saying, and grinned. It said that someone was… probing his security. I pressed some keys and then another message opened up on Batman's screen. This time it said that the person who'd attacked was now gone. Batman's scowl deepened.

"Robin," he said slowly, "Do you know anything about this?" I shrugged indifferently.

Then a small screen in front of me flickered on. I opened Microsoft Word, and the screen showed the blue layout with the white rectangle. Batman's attention was on it in a flash. I smirked and typed, _MWWWWWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA !_

Batman sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Robin, why did you hack my systems?"

I fake pouted. _Awwww, you're no fun, Batman._

"I'm not meant to be fun, Robin." Then what had just happened sunk in Batman's brain. "_How_ did you hack into my systems?!" he growled.

_I was bored and felt like it. It was a nice security though._ I decided not to tell him it was easy for me to by-pass. _So, why did Joker target a _computer lab?

Batman faced me. "That was a normal computer lab by a civilian's perspective." he started, "But underneath it, were military data holders. Actually, it was one of many, but there are hints of the other's locations in the data. I think Joker somehow found out about them and wanted them. Maybe to sell them, maybe to use them, I don't know. But they couldn't fall in his hands."

After that, he turned to his screen. Then he asked, "Since, you're going to be working for us, I'd like to ask you a question." Before I could say anything, he continued, "However, I can tell you aren't going to tell us much, so I will only ask one question." I nodded. "If someone, hurt you, killed or broke something important to you, anything like that, what would you do for revenge?"

I thought about it. _It matters on the person. If the person did it under orders or was forced to do it, I'd interrogate him or her for their leader. If someone did it to spite me_-

I stopped typing, I didn't know how to word what I'd do. Batman understood and nodded.

There was a lull, and finally I typed, _So… What now?_

Batman fiddled a little more with the computer, and for a moment, I thought he was ignoring me. Then, all the screens flickered on, showing various parts of Gotham City. Every few minutes, the screens would change to a different picture, and the main screen was split into four.

The dark knight gestured to the screens. "We supervise."

I shrugged, and then nodded. It could be worse.

* * *

WHISPER

I walked down the street in my civies, but had a brown jacket on as well. The weather was cool, and I had my collar on, but my jacket had a high collar, so no one could see it. I'd been walking for several hours now. As soon as we'd arrived at Central City, Flash had thrown me a bundle of cash and yelled, "Goenjoyyourselfkid!I'llseeyoulaterandpickyouup.!" and took off. He actually said, "Go enjoy yourself kid! I'll see you later and pick you up!"

So, I gave a 'WTH' face and walked off.

That was over nine hours ago; nine pure hours of wandering like a hobo into libraries, stores, and enduring points and stares from people. I even saw Flash taking care of villains and whatnot. I really didn't mind it, but you can only visit Barnes & Noble's so many times and spend so much time in the Manga section considering I wasn't really interested in industry or school work, and Young Adult books were more of Tempest's cup of tea than mine. I think I reread all the _Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles _books as well as _XXXHoLic, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, _and _D. Gray-Man. _I was even forced to read a weird series called _Loveless. _The good part of spending four of my nine hours, before I was kicked out, (Is it even possible to get kicked out of Barnes & Noble's? Well, it was now.) is I got to listen to different songs other than the ten to 15 that are replayed all the time on the radio.

Anyway, after I got kicked out of Barnes & Noble's, I started wandering stores. Most of the Central City souvenirs were Flash trinkets (I real shocker, I know.). I ate lunch at McDonalds. It was hilarious seeing the worker's expression when I said I'd wanted five large fries, three large sodas, and ten Big Macs. Then, I even went to the library and started reading the Maximum Ride series. I've always liked James Patterson. After about 30 minutes, I got kicked out, yet again, and went to a music store. I browsed the music making a mental note to check out 'iUno!' and 'iDos!' albums by Green Day. After that, I just wandered the streets; hence my comment on my being a hobo.

Actually, it's not that different from what I used to do. But it's more confined. Instead of the whole world being my playground (In a figurative way.) it's only a city.

Though I do think some people actually think I'm homeless after seeing me in the same city for over nine hours.

Suddenly a streak of red appeared in the corner of my eye. "Hey, Flash," I said, nonchalantly.

"How are you?" Flash asked, "Did you have fun?"

I shrugged. "Sure I had fun. If your definition of fun is getting kicked out of Barnes & Noble's and the library and people thinking you're homeless! One guy even had the nerve to give me a twenty!"

All Flash said was, "Can I have the twenty?"

I sputtered indignantly. "No! The point is, you left me for nine hours, alone! A 15-year-old! I personally didn't mind, but I thought you had to keep an eye on me for the rest of the day."

Once again, Flash's words of wisdom spoke. "Did you say you got kicked out of Barnes & Noble's and the library?"

I groaned. Where was a cement wall when you needed one? I sighed and said, "Do you have any kids?"

Flash grinned. "Do you see any mini-speedsters running around, causing havoc?"

"I'm serious, Flash,"

Flash's face turned solemn. "No," I closed my eyes. I would've thought by now he would've had kids... No wonder he didn't think anything was wrong when he let a 15-year-old wander the streets for nine hours. It's a good thing I'm not a normal 15-year-old.

"But I had a nephew," Flash said.

My ears perked up. "Really?"

"Yes," Flash smiled ruefully, "To be honest, you remind me of him."

I gave a small, fake laugh. "What a coincidence,"

"I miss him,"

"What?" I said.

Flash gave me a confused look. "I didn't say anything else."

I frowned. I could have sworn I heard him say he... missed his nephew.

"I'm going to take you somewhere." Flash said.

"Really?" I said, "You're actually going to act like the mentor you're supposed to be and bring me somewhere useful?

"Oh, shut up." Flash said, "A forensic scientist named Barry Allen is a friend of mine. Helps with a lot of cases." I froze. Barry Allen. Barry _Allen._ Oh, crud. I knew where this was going. "He lives nearby, so I thought I'd take you to meet his wife, Iris, since he's at work." He smirked. "I promised I wouldn't whisk his wife away to be mine, so he trusts me."

My mouth felt dry and everything was numb. "Okay," I agreed. Even to me, my voice sounded faint.

Flash gave me a concerned look. "Are you okay, Whisper?" he asked.

I smiled without emotion. "I'm fine!" I said, "Just thinking."

"About what?"

I smirked. "About what this 'Iris' must look like to have caught your attention."

Flash sputtered and ran off. I followed him, breaking out into a run that wasn't using superspeed though. When I finally caught up to Flash, the speedster was impatiently tapping his foot. "What took so long?" he asked, unfortunately for me completely recovered from my earlier comment. "You could've used your superspeed to get here faster than that."

I shrugged indifferently. "I didn't feel like it." I couldn't tell him the real why I didn't like using my speed.

Flash accepted my answer with a frown and knocked on the door. It opened, and the sudden bright light blinded me for a moment. "Flash!" a woman with red hair tied in a pony-tail. She hugged the speedster, and saw me. "Who's this?"

Flash put a hand on my head. "This is Whisper, he's on the Team. He's also another speedster!"

Iris laughed. "Oh good, there's another speedster." She turned to me winking. "Maybe you can get rid of all the extra energy this guy's got."

I smiled despite myself, and Iris laughed as Flash whined, "Iris!"

"It's great to see you, but where's Barry?" Iris asked after she finished laughing.

"Barry's at work still," Flash replied. Well, it wasn't technically a lie. "Since you were alone, I decided why not introduce you to Whisper."

Iris opened the door wider. "Well come on in!"

Flash sighed. "I'd love to, but duty calls. Is it okay if I leave Whisper with you?"

Iris blinked. "Of course."

"Great," and then Flash was gone.

The two of us were silent for a while and then Iris walked in the house, leaving the door open and saying, "Well, I don't plan on leaving you out in the cold for the day. Come on in." After a moment of hesitation, I followed her. She went past a room that looked like a dining room and went into what looked like the kitchen. I sat at the end of the dining room table, closest to the kitchen. I could see her though a wide window in the wall, and there were openings at the side for people to walk into and out of the kitchen.

Iris started doing something behind the counter. Eventually, I asked, "What are you making?"

She looked at me and smiled. "I'm making lasagna."

I looked over the edge of the window. "You're making an awful lot."

"Well, you're a speedster, so you naturally have a big appetite if I'm not mistaken." She started.

"You are correct." Wow, I sounded distant even to myself.

"Flash might come over for dinner later, as well, so I have to make a lot of food to feed two speedsters."

Suddenly, I felt guilty for some reason. "Sorry,"

"It's fine," Iris said, "I like cooking anyway." She looked at me suddenly, with such ferocity, it surprised me. "Where did you come from, Whisper?"

"What do you mean?" I asked frowning. I had an idea of what she was asking though.

"I mean," Iris restated, throwing some meat in with some sauce, "Where have you been? B-Flash has been telling about you to Barry and me."

I smiled weakly. "Obsessed much?"

"This isn't a joke, Whisper. Where are your parents?" When I didn't answer, she pressed on, "Flash has said you seem very comfortable and used to your powers despite locking them most of the time. That means you've had them long enough to get the hang of what you can do. The question is, why are you alone-" she paused looking at me with some kind of wonder.

"What?" I snapped.

Iris smirked. "Sorry, it's just your freckles were suddenly quite prominent." I felt my face burn as the realization that I'd been growing steadily paler with Iris' every word, and Iris laughed. "Now they're practically invisible!" She kept laughing as I groaned, hiding my face.

Iris' smile faded. "Whisper, I'm just worried about you." She said, the humor leaving her, "Flash is too. Three boys-"

"Tempest is 18," I cut in.

"all alone with no parents." She continued ignoring what I'd said. "You must've had parents." She sighed, putting the pan in the oven. "If you don't want to talk about it, then that's okay," I breathed a sigh of relief, and I swear Iris heard me, "but if you need anyone, I'm here." She winked. "We don't have to tell Flash."

I smiled a genuine one. I'd always like Iris, even as a kid.

* * *

When I went through the Zeta Beam at 8:00 p.m., I found Tempest reading a book on the couch, and Robin sitting without shoes on in the lotus position with his eyes closed. They'd snapped open when the Zeta Beam had announced my arrival. We didn't have a lettered-numbered code like the rest of the league so it just said "Guest: Whisper."

I sat on the couch between the two of them. To the left of me, Robin opened up Microsoft Word and typed, "What did you guys do today?"

"I spent the time catching up with some old friends and refreshing my knowledge of the on goings of Atlantis." Tempest responded quietly. He turned to Robin. "What did you do?"

Robin paused, thinking, and then typed. _I got stabbed for a computer lab. _If any of the others were here, I'd grab him and shake him, asking where he was hurt and how, but Robin could take care of himself and the others weren't here. _Then I helped Batman supervise Gotham City. _He paused. _That's it. Oh, we had Taco Bell for dinner. The look on the drive-thru man's face was priceless. What about you Whisper?_

I shrugged. "Well, first I was left alone for nine hours. During that time span I got kicked out of Barnes and Noble's and the library. After that, I had dinner with my Aunt Iris."

Robin and Tempest both looked at me sharply, much to my confusion.

It didn't occur to me I'd called Iris my 'aunt.'

* * *

**A/N: Ugh, finally done that monster! Sorry it took so long!**

**I have a poll up. It says: What kind of animal would Sanji's (from One Piece) daemon (from His Dark Materials) be if he had one? **

**Please PM me your answer or send me a review! I'd prefer a PM though, and also, say it's for the poll or I'll be like "Why is there a random animal in my reviews and PM's?!"**

**Please send you feedback!**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	14. Homefront

**A/N: es el 24 de diciembre de 2012**

**I can't believe it. We survived the end of the world. I'm kinda glad to all my work with this story wouldn't be a waste.**

**Nah, I'm just kidding. I didn't believe the end of the world would come. But I did write a ONE-shot with this story's universe about a certain speedster thinking it is the end of the world. This story is called 'Mayan Brains and Octopus Farts.'**

**Hope you enjoy it, it's my first attempt at humor.**

**Now for the mail thingie-majig-**

_**puppylover12: **_**Oh, thank you!**

_**pleaseupdateg**_**, **_**nightmare:**_** Well, here's the update! Haha, 'OMZ!' Oh, my, Zeus!'**

_**Violet Eternity: **_**I'm sorry it took so long! **

_**Guest that reads:**_** I try to put humor, and I like going to Barnes & Noble, so I thought, 'Why not make Whisper get kicked out of Barnes & Noble?'**

_**Melancholy's Sunshine:**_** Nope, Robin isn't going to look up 'Iris.' Want to know why? Because Robin KNOWS ALL. O.O He's like, God of Knowledge.**

_**Flying Jay: **_**Well, I try! Thank you for thinking so!**

_**chrnarnia3:**_** Great! I'm glad you feel that way!**

_**Robin-Is-Totally-Whelming: **_**Here's an update!**

**And to everyone: MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I can' t believe it's going to be 2013 soon…**

**I feel old… -_-'**

* * *

ROBIN

Riddler had escaped.

I stared at the newspapers on my holo-computer, absorbing the information. The newspapers were originally from Louisiana, but some where even from surrounding states. A couple nights ago, there had been a break out at the Belle Reve Penitentiary in Belle Reve Parish, Louisiana. Hence, why most of the newspapers came from Louisiana. Superboy and Miss Martian had been a part of this fiasco in order to find out what the trapped villains had been planning. I say fiasco, because I think _they_ failed, not the villains. Why? It was a gut feeling.

In order to find support for my hypothesis, I opened the second tab on my computer. This one showed numerous video clips. Video clips of security cameras I'd hacked to get. I darted my eyes around me. I was in my room: a small place with enough to fit a full sized bed, a bedside table with a lamp next to the head, and a desk along the wall away from the bed. It was in a perfect rectangle, so there was a spot of space between the foot of my bed and the door. I was completely alone, but Tempest's room was too my right, and Whisper's to my left. Both people slept lightly, so the slightest noise might wake them up. Good thing holo-computers were called holograph computers for a reason: no buttoned keyboard. I needn't worry about anything else, because I'd fixed the security cameras to show I was meditating or cleaning my weapons after nine o'clock, and sometimes I'd deactivate it to show I truly was sleeping.

That only happens once every couple weeks for a few days. Like, the last couple nights for instance.

After ensuring that I was safe, I lowered the volume on the holo-computer and clicked on several videos. What they were saying was appearing at the bottom of the scream. I watched what happened at Belle Reve in fast speed, me being able to read what they were saying fast enough. I skipped no parts. I was at a part where Waller and her staff were in the male's wing and how Waller had taunted Brick. Just as Brick got ready to attack her, Hugo Strange stopped him. I frowned at his wording. He said around the lines it was best to keep Waller alive.

I knew that maybe my paranoia was acting up and making it seem like Strange was bad, and he could be good, just playing it smart by wanting Waller alive, but to be honest, why would villains want Amanda Waller, warden of their prison? What use would she be?

I rubbed my temples, a headache forming from so much mental thinking and keeping it all in without notes. This is why I wish I'd known about it. You can only learn so much from security cameras compared to first-hand experience. I would've asked to join the mission. I could've hid in the airshafts or something. Or, I could've done that without telling the Justice League.

Unfortunately, having insomnia had been taking its toll on me, and that one more all-nighter with Red Arrow had been my limit. Then, I hadn't been able to sleep the next day because I had to spend the day with Batman. Then, my insomnia acted up again preventing me from sleeping until September 13th, and only with the assistance of Whisper, Tempest, Black Canary, and even Batman (But mostly Whisper and Tempest.) acting as 24/7 sparring partners. And then, I'd slept for the entire day and even into September 14th which was the day Miss Martian and Superboy had left.

When I woke up, I'd plopped myself in the Lounge on the couch. Then Whisper tried to throw a newspaper at my face, but I caught it. On the cover it said, "Batman's New Sidekick?"

Great, I was in the newspaper.

After that, Black Canary had the brilliant idea of two days of training involving training centers with each one having a mentor member of the Justice League (Batman, Flash, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Aquaman, and even Green Arrow.) and us into groups, revolving every one or two hours and then the second half of the day spent at the center where we thought we needed most work in. Batman had done stealth and traps, Flash had done speed and endurance, Black Canary had done close combat, Red Tornado had done strategizing, Aquaman had done swimming (Big surprise there.), and Green Arrow had done accuracy and precision with projectiles.

I had to listen to six lectures on things I already know. Lucky me.

When we'd asked about Superboy and Miss Martian, Batman had said they were on a mission in a way that would keep everyone but me from prying for more. It was only Artemis, Tempest, Whisper, and me for that. Whisper and Artemis kept getting into fights, and Whisper would then drag Tempest or me into them. I was able to escape before I got stuck, but Tempest did not have that talent and he was forced to participate as the neutral side in the fights. By the end of the day, all four of us, including the mentors, went home with migraines but results or improvement. Though, I had none, and Whisper's and Tempest's were slow considering we didn't have much to improve on. Despite the migraines and fights, I think Whisper and Artemis had fun.

That training went all the way into September 18 actually. Then, we'd had to do it _all over again. _Why? Because that was the time Superboy and Miss Martian had returned and revitalized themselves. Whisper and I found out that Superboy's name was now Conner, which had been decided when we'd gone to Taipei and because of time differences, they'd gone to school while we'd been with a bomb. (We also found out that Miss Martian and Superboy or M'gann and Conner, had started dating. When they announced this- more like we figured it out though- Whisper had shouted, "Supermartian, galore!" and thoroughly creeped out everyone there including the Justice League members.) I would've snuck off, but I could practically feel Batman's stare observing me and making sure I didn't escape from the training, when in all actuality I wanted to learn about what had happened at Belle Reve.

**(A/N: If the above was confusing, (it was even to me kind of) then I wrote down a-hopefully- clearer version in the second A/N below.)**

Anyway, it was September 22, today, at around 1:30 a.m. when I was finally able to find out about Belle Reve. I did it at 1:30 a.m. for two reasons. 1) Whisper and Tempest might have stayed up late and 2) I had been so exhausted with my headache and a relearning of knowledge and activity that I'd taken a nap. When Whisper had checked in on me at 10:00 p.m. he'd been surprised. That was the first time I'd fallen asleep within a week in a while.

Even though the video's had been fast forwarded, and I'd used several monitors, it still took several hours to watch it all. I took a brief break while stretching into splits and jumps and whatnot, and then brushing my teeth and everything. After that, I used a longer amount of time to write a complete set of notes of what had happened. Once I'd started a document, I chose not to see what time it was so I wouldn't feel the urge to eat. This was too important. I printed the document once it was finished, and at the bottom of it, I wrote what I thought of Riddler. He was the only one to escape, despite him being belittled by the others at Belle Reve, which makes me think he's more than just some Gotham criminal that makes ridiculous riddles.

I sighed, and did a backhand spring to stretch. Then I started walking towards the training room. I immediately started going over my stretches and positions. Making kicks and punches to practice, and also doing acrobatic flips.

I heard someone come in after God knows how long and I stiffened, making a position of striking at a pressure point on the person's neck. I stopped it an inch away. It was just Whisper. "Dude, where have you been?" Whisper asked, not even flinching and chewing on the banana in his hand. He was in his civies; jeans, T-shirt, and a normal hoodie. "It's already like 5:30 p.m. and we haven't seen a single hair of yours all day. He took in my striking position and the perspiration that was building on my forehead. He stared at me in silence and then shook his head. "I don't even want to know, Rob,"

I just shrugged, shutting down the holo-computer. Whisper gestured towards the kitchen. "Lunch- or is it dinner?- is ready, and since you didn't eat breakfast, you're probably hungry. M'gann made pasta and red sauce with Tempest's help."

As he walked out, he threw a towel at me. I caught it with one hand and wiped my face as I walked out as well. Then, I joined the others. I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and sat down at the island. Instantly, a cup of milk was slammed in front of me. I looked up to see M'gann's face. "I heard milk was good for you," she said, "and then I realized I'd never seen you drink milk before."

I understood what she wanted, and so, pushing down my surprise at seeing a cup of milk right in my face, I drank it in one gulp. I was rewarded by a smile and a plate of penne with Ragu. I picked up my fork and started eating. Beside me, Super- Conner and Whisper were doing the same. Tempest was on the inside of the island helping M'gann with cooking.

"So what are we doing for the rest of the day?" M'gann asked.

"Today was a free day," Tempest said, while holding a book and reading in one hand and stirring with the other. "I have a feeling that we'll be getting more of them because Conner, M'gann, and Artemis today have started school. Due to that, I think our missions will be less frequent. Though, they might assign missions of smaller scale for Whisper, Robin, and me."

I simply nodded in agreement. Whisper laughed. "Arty's started school? Which one? Do you know?"

Tempest gave him a look. "I do not know, but I am certain Robin knows." Everyone turned to me. I sighed and took out a notebook. Then I wrote down the school.

Whisper's laugh grew. "Hahahaha! She goes to Gotham Academy!? It's a nice school and all, but it doesn't seem like her at all. Man, I can't wait to see her in a uniform!"

"Whisper, don't laugh at Artemis," is all Tempest said.

"My bike still needs work," Conner cut in, taking us back to the original topic. "I'm going to work on it."

"I can help if you want." M'gann said. Her blush was quickly hidden, but I still caught it.

"Sure," Conner's grin as well I saw.

Whisper finished his bowl putting it in the sink and rinsing it. "I can help if you need it."

"Was that enough food?" M'gann asked, concern written over her face. "I heard that speedsters eat a lot."

Whisper grinned. "I ate five full bowls, I'll be fine. I don't use my speed often anyway."

Conner and M'gann finished eating and then all three went off to the garage. I heard beeping behind me, and I stiffened slightly. At first I'd been okay with Sphere, but I didn't feel comfortable with it now. I didn't know where it came from, what it was, nothing. It made me wary.

I hesitantly raised my hand and patted it. Sphere rolled back and forth making excited beeping noises, and then it rolled after Whisper, Conner, and M'gann.

"I think it likes you," Tempest said.

I scowled and signed _Shut up._ Tempest smirked and got up, his book in hand. _Where are you going?_ I signed.

"I'm going to wait for Artemis to come by. I'm sure she will."

_I can do that,_ I signed. Tempest rose an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" I rolled my eyes and nodded. Tempest sighed and started his way to where the others were. As he walked by me, he ruffled my hair. "For some reason, I have a really bad feeling…" his voice trailed off. I watched him with my eyes as he walked off, and then I sat down on the couch. After a while, I heard a boom. I tensed, and half of me said it was just Whisper fooling around, but the other half told me to be alert. I loosened my lotus position, ready to bolt if needed.

Suddenly, a _boom_ caused the room to shutter and something smashed in the distance. Then smoke flew into the room. The lights flickered out, and a red flashing one replaced it to signify a fire. I tightly rolled right off the couch and landed softly in a crouch with my back pressed against the couch seat. _No dip,_ I thought and glared at the source of the light.

_Artemis, Designation B07_

I hissed, and grabbed Artemis. She screamed as she was suddenly- or at least to her- yanked. "Let go!" she yelled at me. I growled and then saw fire blasting at me out of the corner of my eye. Without letting go of Artemis, or even thinking about the motion, I jumped up and swung my legs over our arms, effectively dodging the fire. "Robin?" Artemis said, realizing who I was. She looked around taking in the smoke, red lights, and the annoying alarms that just started. "What's going on?" I shrugged, and she scowled at me, remembering I couldn't talk. Then her eyes widened. "What the _heck_ is that?"

I followed her gaze, and through the barely clearing, thick smoke, was a bright red robot. It had the body of a female, but it looked like it was wearing a skin tight jumpsuit on instead of it looking like a naked woman. The only sign of any other color than red was a yellow arrow on her head, a stripe diagonally across her middle, and another on her thigh. The robot faced us and shot another stream of fire at us. Artemis yelped, and I yanked her along, throwing a bomb in the robot's direction. In response I heard a boom.

I ran towards the exit my mind racing and repeating one sentence. _Where to go, where to go, where to go… _As soon as we arrived at the exit entrance, a tidal wave crashed and front of us, and started to rush us. I narrowed my eyes, and ran the other direction, but we couldn't outrun it. The wave hit us harshly in the backs, knocking the air out of us. Then I felt cold and wet all over, as well as a floating sensation as the wave knocked us off our feet. We slammed onto the side wall coughing. _Where are Tempest and Whisper when you need them? _I thought briefly before running as a fireball fell with a hiss onto the water where we'd been.

"Where to?!" Artemis yelled over the steam as she fired arrows in the general direction of the robots. I thought quickly. The bathrooms? They might stop the water for a while. Then I remembered the tidal wave and the fire-controlling robot. If there was a fire-controlling robot, then there might be a _water_-controlling robot.

Artemis took my silence as me being mute; which was partly true. Can't she let a guy think? "Oh, I forgot." She said sarcastically, "You can't talk."

I rolled my eyes, and threw a shuriken at the fire-robot as soon as I saw it. The shuriken sank into the metal with a clang, but the robot merely pulled it out and burned it so it melted, leaving a small gouge in its red metal. As this happen, I thought about places we could hide.

Then it hit me as I stared at the smoke vent above the stove. What about the air vents? I rapidly opened up Microsoft Word on my holo-computer and wrote: _I'm going to distract fire-robot. Climb up the air vents. I downloaded the blueprints for The Cave when I first got here. Use them to find another room. _I deleted any information that was private, and threw the holo-computer to her. She read the information, and before she could protest, I ran off.

I threw a bolas as the fire-robot. They wrapped around her (?) and I ran like hell. I could practically predict what it would do: struggle and then burn the bolas right off. Despite its escape, I managed to run and disappear behind the shadows of the island in the kitchen. Then I jumped on the stove when the robot turned away and crept up the air vent, pulling the cover back on so it looked like it'd never been touched.

I crawled through my mind flashing back to the map of The Cave. I took a left and then the first right, which led me to a circular opening. The grate wasn't there, so I assumed Artemis had gone this direction, following the blueprints, and exited through here. I assumed correctly because as soon as I'd climbed down the ladder, I felt the steel cold, pointed metal of an arrow against my neck. I rolled my eyes and turned around; paying no heed to the small cut the arrow had cut as I moved.

Artemis sighed with relief and relaxed her bow slightly. "Oh, it's just you," she said, trying to feign nonchalance, but really she was taut as the string on her bow and had been worried about me. I could tell by how her eyes kept flickering back towards me like I might disappear any moment.

She handed me the holo-computer and I typed: _Yes, it's the marvelous me! Just bow in my presence!_

When Artemis read it, she snorted and said, "Yeah, I'll totally bow to a kid that's not even the height of my shoulders."

I bristled, but wasn't really offended.

_Well, who did you think it was? The Gingerbread Man? _

"Of course not!" Artemis hissed, her voice level rising, "Do you think I'm stu- You know what? Don't answer that!"

There was a clanking sound, and we froze. Slowly, I typed: _Nice going, stupid._

"I thought I told you not to answer that question!" Artemis whispered/hissed.

Instead of continuingly provoking her, I cautiously reached for my tanto. Likewise, Artemis nocked an arrow. I looked around and then grabbed Artemis' wrist- I seem to be going that a lot, don't I- and then dragging her down the grated staircases. The room was lit with red light, and I had to navigate us through tall, big, dark machinery.

As we did this, I let go of Artemis and used that hand to hack into the systems to stop heat and motion sensors from tacking us. Artemis followed me, running behind. I ran wildly, searching for another air vent opening. When I found one, I ripped the grate off and threw myself. After Artemis came in as well, I slithered behind her and pulled the grate back on. Then I went around a corner, and turned on the holo-computer to security footage. The screen was in fourths, with a scene of the Zeta-Beams. Two of the angles showed the water from the sea. The other two showed the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?" Artemis whispered. I honestly saw no point in whispering, but I just let her do it.

Another separate tab opened up for Microsoft Word. _I'm searching the security cameras to see what happened to the others. _Artemis nodded in understanding. I opened the one showing the Hangar where they should've been, and looked what time it was: ten minutes until seven p.m. What time had it been when I'd first heard the crash and thought it was just Whisper being Whisper? We went our separate ways around 6:15 if my internal clock was still good (It should be!), and I'd had to wait a while for Artemis, so I say… around ten minutes ago? Just to be sure, I started the video at the time it'd been at 6:30.

My internal clock had been off a little, I realized a few minutes into watching the feed. Whisper was with Megan and Conner around Conner's motorcycle. A little ways off was Tempest, reading, and Sphere next to him. Whisper was kneeled against the motorcycle and talking to them about their school experiences, every now and then asking for a certain tool. I saw Whisper momentarily freeze, mid-sentence, and stand up. Just as Tempest was about to ask him what was wrong, the wall beside them exploded, sending rubble and smoke everywhere.

"What happened?" Artemis asked when the screen turned into Conner's favorite show.

_Explosion took out the camera, I'll find another angle, _I rapidly typed and then typed in some keys. The screen split back into four. I clicked on the top right one. The water was overflowing. Three swirling torrents crashed into the tiny figures (Well, tiny from the angle of the camera.), and then the screen fuzzed. I went to the bottom left, which showed the three of them. Megan had changed into her mission outfit, and the five of them got ready to run when a wave crashed over the screen again. From the bottom right one, they were running towards the ledge that'd taken most of the space, but another wave crashed in front of them.

All I could think was how devastated Tempest must be over his book.

"What happened?!" Artemis started shrieking. I looked at her with dull surprise. I would've thought she'd been introduced to the concept of death.

_They're all dead._ I deadpanned. Artemis gave me a look of shock at my nonchalance, and I quickly typed, _The cameras are all dead. I'm sure the others are fine._ Actually, I wasn't sure, but Whisper and Tempest would probably be alright, and I couldn't tell Artemis that.

Artemis sat back against the curve of the tunnel. "They're fine. They have to be. I mean, they all have superpowers."

We exited through the library. I ran down the metal stairs to the lower level of the library. Facing me were long tables vertical to me. In the tunnels while Artemis was reassuring herself that the others were fine, I'd remembered that when I was at the Bat Cave 15 days ago, I'd downloaded the blueprints of the Bat Cave and the Cave. Of course Batman didn't know that. He was known for being paranoid, and me being bored, had gone through the Bat Cave blueprints. There were a lot of secret passages, which made me wonder…

I turned right sharply, causing Artemis to yelp in surprise as she slammed into the table from the energy she used and then demand an explanation. Unfortunately for her, I couldn't answer her without her being right next to me even if I wanted to. I ran behind the staircase, so I was underneath it. Then I clicked on the file of the Cave blueprints I'd downloaded. I quickly scanned the part where the library was. A smirk crept over my face.

Artemis must've seen my triumph from my epiphany even though she couldn't see my lower face because she backed away warily. "Are you okay, Robin?" she asked, her hands reaching for an arrow.

I rolled my eyes. _I'm fine,_ I typed, _I just remembered that there's a secret passage here._

Artemis rose an eyebrow and grabbed the holo-computer so my arm was bent at an uncomfortable angle. She looked at the Cave blueprints I'd gotten just today and frowned. "Where? I don't see any secret passage way."

_That's because it's not written on these blueprints. It's called a 'secret' passage for reasons._

Artemis narrowed her eyes at me. "And, how did you come to the existence of this 'secret passage?'"

I put my index finger to my lips. _Secret,_

Artemis growled at me. "Where is it?"

I started to get up, and froze. I could hear clanging thuds. "Artemis, Robin," a mechanical voice said.

Artemis' face lit up. "It's Red Tornado!" she exclaimed, and lunged forward to greet the voice. I grabbed her wrist just before she went out and yanked her back in. "What?" she hissed at me. "It's Red Tornado!" What? Didn't she member the fire-robot from before?! "A league member! He can help us! You're so paranoid, Robin! One day, you're going to get yourself killed, and no one, not even Tempest and Whisper will care because you distance yourself so much! Well, unlike you, I care about living a life, and Red Tornado may be the only person who can save us right now!" I glared at her, anger welling up inside of me. Even though I knew all that already, it still stung no matter how much I didn't want it to.

I jerked my hand off Artemis' like it was poison. "Fine," I mouthed, "Get yourself killed!"

Unfortunately, Artemis does not have x-ray vision and can't lip-read through my mask, and I wasn't going to take it off.

She ran out, and I turned around so I faced the stairs I was under. They were metal so I could see what was happening through each step. I watched as Artemis ran out with a grin of relief on her face. That grin melted into horror as, and I darted forward.

Just as I dragged a stunned Artemis the way we came, I saw a tall, broad-shouldered, red robot with an inverted yellow trident across his chest and another one on his head in a smaller sized scale.

_There's water-robot,_ I thought dimly and then focused my attention back to where I was going.

I let go of Artemis' arm as I darted between a pair of shelves. She jumped up on top of the bookshelves. "There are two red robots!" she yelled, and then fired arrows.

Yay, the Reds are here. Hey, Red Tornado, you missed your family reunion and now they're mad!

I heard _whooshing_ sounds after the airy whistle of a firing arrow. Above, the sprinklers turned on. I shivered and tugged on a lank bang. _Dang, this just dried,_ I thought.

"Robin! Focus!" Artemis yelled at me.

I zigzagged in and out of aisles of books. My mind raced as I scanned each panel for the ordering of the books. In the distance, I heard loud thuds. Artemis was following me, by jumping on the bookshelves and firing her arsenal.

I skidded into an aisle, and grabbed at a spine with a crown on it. A sudden shadow fell over me. I turned around and saw the bookshelf had fallen and was now leaning over his. I winced as a book hit me on the head.

There was a yelp, and I looked down the staircase that'd just appeared in place of the bookshelf. Artemis was sitting on the bottom stair, her eyes clenched in pain. My mind put two and two together: she'd been jumping on bookshelves, and this shelf had dropped under her feet. When she looked at me, I rose an eyebrow.

She growled. "What is it, 'Beat Up Artemis' Day?" She asked. I shrugged, and she scowled at me.

I nearly dove in the staircase, causing Artemis to scream when I almost hit her. I rolled and landed up on my feet, then immediately launching into a run. We were in a corridor made of the mountain rock but it had been smoothed, with fluorescent vertical lights overhead.

I stopped at a four-way crossroads, and sat down with my legs crossed. _What now?_ I typed.

Artemis exploded. "What do you mean 'What now?'" she yelled, "I thought you knew what you were doing!"

I shrugged again.

"Ugh!" she grabbed her head and started muttering. I let her rant, and after a minute she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said in a tired voice.

That surprised me. My expression must've been enough because she continued on, "You were right before. In the Library I mean. I didn't really mean that about you."

I waved her off. _It's fine, what you said was true anyway._

She looked at me in surprise. "Do you really believe that?"

Well, I'd honestly no intention in sharing my feelings like those kid shows, but I typed, _Sometimes, yes. I mean, even though Tempest, Whisper, and I seem close, we still haven't told each other _everything._ So we're not as close as we appear, and one day we might separate. _

I think Artemis understood my reluctance to continue because she said, "What have we been doing then all this time?"

_Just getting away. Wandering, exploring,_

"So, you mean to say that we've been on the run around the Cave, nearly getting killed, and seeing two Red-Tornado-look-alikes, almost getting exploded, and practically getting a concussion from a book just so we could explore the Cave?"

I thought about her words. _Did you seriously get a concussion from a book?_

Artemis groaned and promptly slammed her head into the metal part of the wall with a clang. "I think I might actually take back my apology," she muttered, and I laughed, my cackle echoing in the air shaft.

"Attention Robin." Woah, my name got called on the intercom! Whisper must be so jealous… "Attention Artemis. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender. Or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished." We exchanged looks. "Exactly nine minutes and forty-five seconds."

* * *

I hummed softly to myself. Of course, I couldn't actually hum, but it's the thought that counts. Once again I grabbed Artemis' wrist and shot my grappling hook, but instead of a hook, I switched it with something that could stick. The line of it tightened, signaling that it'd connected with something.

Something colder than the water surrounding us (Oh? You didn't notice we were submerged in water yet again. Honestly, it was getting tiring.) grabbed my ankle in a vice grip. I looked down at my ankle. Water-robot had grabbed it, his eyes eerily glowing red in contrast of the dark water.

Artemis yelped, and then clasped her hands over her mouth. Bubbles flew out, precious oxygen that she'd wasted.

You see, shortly after the Reds' announcement that if we didn't surrender, Whisper and the others would be eliminated- blah, blah, blah- we'd started running down yet another corridor. It was supposed to lead us to the Hangar, where the others had last been seen.

Unfortunately, said red robot had appeared and decided to try to drown us, so he filled the corridor we'd been with water. Yay.

Oddly, I was very calm with this situation. Maybe it was because I'd had so much done to me already? I don't know. What I do know is I plan on forcing Whisper to run me to the desert when this was over. And then I was going to stay there for an entire day. I'd had enough water to last me a month.

That is, if we get out of here.

I grabbed a shuriken from my pouch and started sawing at the metal hand. When that did nothing, I jammed a kunai in his eye. My ankle was released, but sore. I ignored it, grabbed Artemis, and hit the withdraw button on the grappling hook. Behind us, there were several booms as the bombs I'd left exploded.

I broke the surface of the water, gulping down air. My lungs had been killing me.

"Oh, hey Robin," a voice greeted me amiably, "Nice meeting you her- LOOK OUT!"

A blast of flame came roaring towards us, and we dove back down. Whisper's voice was garbled, but I could hear him screaming, "OH MY GOD! IT'S A METEOR! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! IT'S ARMA- oh, hey guys." That last part happened when we surfaced next to him. He was in his civies, great protection. Water was up to his shoulders, and he was trapped in chunks of metal with Superboy beside him. In the wall of the ledge, Sphere was stuck in a self-created hole.

Superboy was wincing, and then sighed in relief. He glared at Whisper. "Thanks for blowing out my eardrums."

A sheepish expression crossed Whisper's face. "Ehheheheh, sorry?"

"You two alright?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah-" Superboy responded.

"Right as rain," Whisper interrupted, "If you count almost being drowned 'alright.'"

"-but help M'gann!" Superboy's voice rose at the end, and he looked up the ledge. From here, we could see the glimpses of- was that a cage made of fire? How creative.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Whisper exclaimed.

Superboy glared at him. "M'gann in pain reminds you of something."

Whisper blinked. "No, I was just thinking about my rain comment." He smirked a planning smirk at me. "How about it, Rob? You, me, in the Bialyan desert-"

"Tempest!" Artemis yelled up, interrupting Whisper, her voice filled with worry, "Is she-"

"She'd unconscious!" Tempest yelled back, "But this heat… It's stifling! It saps our strength! I fear we will not survive not much longer."

Oh, no. Tempest? Dead? Not on my watch. I stiffened, my treading faltering. I hadn't realized how close I'd gotten with those two.

"Um, Robin?" Whisper said, "I love you bro, but I'd rather have my eyes in my head, not burned to a crisp." I blinked, realizing I'd been staring at him.

Fire-robot came flying. I managed to think, _Huh, her flames look like hair. She _is_ a girl!_ before she fired several bolts down.

We had to dive back down much to our greatest pleasure. We swam towards the stairs leading to the upper level of the Hangar. As we started climbing, Water-robot walked out of the water below us, with Fire-robot at the top, her fire-hair acting like a rocket. Two fireballs appeared in her hands, and Water-robot's eye, where I stabbed him with a kunai, was sparking.

"I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis told me as he readied her bow and we slid back to back.

In response, I threw several shuriken at Water-robot, followed by a bomb. Artemis caught on and shot a single arrow which exploded on contact with Fire-robot. The two shot water and fire respectively. Just before it hit us, we both dived off the stairs into the water. We navigated our way through the water to a tunnel, and then through the tunnels. Finally, we reached a surface and broke it gasping for air. The human lung capacity was not meant to be held for five minutes even if it was possible.

Water-robot was even kind enough to say, "Six minutes," as soon as we climbed in another tunnel. We had six minutes to figure out a way to save the others. Before, I was absolutely okay with being chased around the Cave even if I got soaked several times. Then the Reds put Whisper and Tempest's lives at stake. That changes everything.

Or we could surrender.

Should we? It would save a lot of pain and suffering.

Nah, I'm okay with that too.

"What do we do now?" Artemis asked. I could see in her eyes that she was nearing a panic attack.

I hit the power button my holo-computer. Miraculously, it still worked. _We save them,_ I typed.

"And how do we do that?! Those robots already took out our four _superpowered_ friends!"

_You sound distraught._

Artemis' waved her hands around. "Of course I'm distraught! We have six minutes to save our friends, no powers, and I'm down to my last arrow!" At this, she took said arrow and waved it in my face.  
I scowled. Well, aren't you the optimist. _Get traught!_ Is all I wrote without thinking about my butchering of the English language. To be honest, I'd been mute most of my life, so I had a lot to think about. Including the English language.

I started crawling my down the tunnel. Honestly, I had expected more from Sportsmaster's daughter. Was this all she could do? Pathetic. Either she was incredible good at acting, or I'd just overestimated her.

"How can you be so calm?" she asked, her voice was distressed.

I didn't respond to that. First off, I was in front of her. How was I supposed to respond when I was mute? I didn't feel like stopping to type a reply as well. It'd just waste time. This whole conversation actually felt kind of _déjà vu _compared to the one we had earlier after the Library incident.

"Where are we going?" Artemis asked. I stopped and threw the earpiece to Artemis. She took it, confusion written on her face. I motioned for her to speak into it. "Um, hello?" she said.

"Arty!" Whisper said, "I knew that Robin wouldn't try to decapitate me intentionally. At least not in a situation like this."

"Whisper?!" Artemis exclaimed, "How- how is this possible!?" Then she glared at me. "Robin, what did you do?"

"He nearly decapitated me with a shuriken, but in it was some sort of communication device." Whisper supplied.

Artemis scowled. "I feel like I'm being left out a lot here," she said.

I rolled my eyes and typed, _I need you to tell Whisper what I'm going to write, okay? _Artemis looked at me and nodded. Then I typed, _The Reds are robots, right? So an electro-magnetic pulse would knock 'em out, right?_

As soon as Artemis repeated it, Whisper said, "Hmmm, I guess so." Then he paused as if grinning. "But you don't have an EMP, do you?"

I shook my head in negative and Artemis glared at me. "Really?" she scoffed, "And here I thought you were prepared for everything."

I rolled my eyes, and Whisper stood up for me. "Hey! Robin is, like, the best guy friend in the world."

_Yes, I need an EMP. That's where you come in. You need to tell me how to make one._ I typed. Once Artemis transmitted that, Whisper said, "Go to the Med-Bay. In the x-ray machine there's a small vacuum tube called a vircator that converts high energy pulses. Reprogram the unit's microwave conversion from 'x-rays' to 'EMP's' with the cascading energy vector directed outward." **(A/N: I don't know if I got this whole speech thing correct. I was doing it word for word listening to this part in the episode, so I think I got it right but I don't know about the word 'virctor.') **

As he said this, we climbed into the Medical Bay and to an x-ray machine. Then, I connected it to my holo-computer and did what he said. Once he was finished, my brain connected the dots and I realized that we'd have to go back into the Hangar to connect the EMP to the main generator. I mentally sighed as I realized Artemis was probably going to freak out with the knowledge of going back to the Hangar.

"What is it?" Artemis asked, seeing my expression. I gave her a blank look and typed, _We have to go back into the Hangar to hook this up._

She took it more calmly than I expected. Instead of blowing up like I thought she would, she just sighed and nodded in acknowledgement. Then we climbed through the air vents using the blueprints. I pulled the slate of metal off the part in the Hangar near the main generator once we got there. Then we jumped down onto the platform which held it. I could see the water level had risen to Whisper's and Superboy's necks, and the two robots were on the ledge watching them and Miss Martian and Tempest. Over the intercom, Water-robot said, "Four minutes left,"

I looked at Artemis and she nodded. Hitting a button on the earpiece she said, "Whisper, distract the Reds."

He didn't respond, but he did shout out, "Hey!" The Reds' heads swiveled to Whisper. "I am so disappointed in you two."

"What do you mean?" Water-robot said, facing Whisper.

Whisper shrugged. "I mean that there are six members on this team, right? And you only caught four of them."

"So?" Fire-robot said."

Whisper smirked. "One of those members you haven't caught yet hasn't even reached puberty, and you can't catch him. Pretty lame, if I do say so myself."

I rolled my eyes. That comment was lame, if I do say so myself.

Apparently, the Reds thought so too, because they started to turn away. Whisper noticed this immediately and shouted, "You ugly, burnt-red, tin can, idiots! All you do is stand there shouting, 'I am R2D2!' Actually, R2D2 is the bomb! You guys don't even compare to him!"

I doubt those robots even knew who R2D2 was, but they could understand an insult- or an attempted one- when it was thrown their way because Water-robot doused Whisper's head in water. Thankfully, Superboy was smart and shouted, "Really? Pick on someone your own size!"

Anyway, while those two were failing with insults, I checked out what needed to be done to send the EMP. The weapon wouldn't fit in the power grid, and after a closer study, I found out I needed another piece of metal to complete. Another piece of metal? Well, that was easy. I had so much metal on me I could kill air ports with it. "What's wrong?" Artemis whispered. I briefly typed the situation with another piece of metal, and she nodded. "Then get out one of your kunai or something," I rolled my eyes. Did she think I wasn't going to or something? It's not like all our live are at stake or anythi-

"WATCH OUT!" Superboy and Whisper shouted in unison. I stiffened for a hundred thousandth of a second and whirled around to see a torrent of water rushing straight towards me. I heard several people scream, "Robin!"- was it Whisper? Artemis? Tempest? Superboy?- and then my vision was swept into inky black. The water surrounded me, and I thrashed wildly as it dragged me to where I assumed most of the water was. My lungs started to burn because I hand' the chance the take a sufficient amount of air before, and my mind was racing. Where was up? Where was down? I couldn't tell. If I swam this way would it be up, or would I succeed in drowning myself? Could Artemis succeed in saving us all?

I needed air! Desperately, out of instinct, my mouth opened and sucked in, hoping for oxygen. All I received was a mouthful was ice cold water. I tried coughing it out, but it was no use. The water around me was swirled fast, twisting me around and making sure I couldn't tell where I was.

As my vision faded to black all I thought was, _I failed._

* * *

Out of instinct, I pulled my leg close to my chest and kicked outwards. It hit something, and whatever it hit went reeling back. While I tried to open my eyes, I heard someone yell, "Idiot! That was your fault!"

In response another person said, "Hey! I just suggested you try to take off his mask! If he was still alive, you would react!"

Oh. Someone had tried to take off my mask. That was why I struck out. I finally succeeded in opening my eyes, I was on the upper level of the Hangar. Every muscle ached and my throat and lungs killed. I was also drenched and freezing. Was this my hell? To see everyone I came close to caring about die over and over again?

Artemis pervaded my vision. "Robin!" she shouted, relief written on her face. I thought, _What are you doing in my hell?_

I rolled over slowly and looked over the edge. Whisper and Superboy were still in their metal chunks. The speedster was smiling brightly. I sighed, and Artemis and I walked over to Tempest and Miss Martian. We helped them up and climbed down the stairs to the lower level, me taking a drill along the way. Once we got down there, I went back up and grabbed the Reds one by one and dragged them slowly down the stairs. Oddly, no one seemed to be interested in helping me, Tempest and Miss Martian being exhausted from the fire and Artemis fiddling with the drill I'd brought down. Did I have to do everything around here?

"Will you get that to work already?" Whisper complained to Artemis, already recovering from my near death and putting his mask back on.

"I can't, genius," Artemis replied, "EMP shuts down all machines," Beside me, I saw Superboy reach for Miss Martian's hand and Tempest subtly lean closer to the clone so they could be together. I made a half-hearted effort to smile. Sneaky Tempest.

"All machines at the time present," a familiar voice said. I looked over and saw Red Tornado flying over. "What happened?" he asked.

I felt Miss Martian put up a mind-link for me, and I nodded gratefully to her. She smiled weakly in return, and I said, _'You had siblings,'_

Whisper translated for me, and Red Tornado said, "I was not aware of relatives any relative I had."

"Where have you been?" Superboy asked.

"Monitor duty on the watch tower," Red Tornado replied.

'_I remember. He left around four saying that he was taking over for Green Arrow.'_ Tempest said via mind-link.

"When it became clear Cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate. But you Zeta-Tubes were also nonfunctional. I transported to Providence, and proceeded here." As he was saying this, he walked over to the Reds where I'd put them. Above them, Sphere suddenly turned on and jumped out of the wall, making beeping noises.

"Hey, boy," Superboy greeted him. The drill Artemis held suddenly blasted out a red beam.

"_The pulse has worn off!"_ Whisper and I said at the same time.

Red Tornado kneeled down to the Reds. _'Get away from them!' _I yelled, causing everyone around me to wince and cover their temples. But it was too late.

Red Tornado stood up, his eyes glowing red. His legs and arms turned to tornadoes. Wind blew, and I felt the air become thinner. It became harder to breathe and once again, I felt a similar burning pain in my lungs grow until it was nearly unbearable. I had time to think, _Not again,_ before I blacked out.

Again.

* * *

I woke up again thinking, Now_ am I in hell?_

Batman was standing over me. He grabbed my upper arm and helped me up. Everyone was standing with their respective mentors. Except for Superboy that is. Superman was helping Artemis. Also, Aquaman and Tempest and sharing curt- on Tempest's part- words with each other, and Flash was helping Superboy and Whisper out of the metal.

"Robin," Batman said directing my attention back towards him, "What happened?"

I shook my head, and Miss Martian said something to Martian Manhunter. I assumed that she said to form a mind-link because I felt one form, but it didn't feel like hers. _'Robots like Red Tornado came,' _I thought in broken sentences, _'They attacked, Artemis activated an EMP, saved us all, Red Tornado came, EMP wore off, Red Tornado sucked out all the oxygen,' _I looked around, horror sinking in.

"And now they're all gone," Whisper finished.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, two things happened. **

**I made Robin nearly die TWICE due to lack of oxygen.**

**Robin's butchering of the English language begins!**

**Also, the beginning may seem kind of confusing so I'll clarify:**

**Robin is on his holo-computer looking at security files. In the middle of this, he starts explaining what happened the previous days because 'Homefront' took several days after 'Terrors' and I needed an excuse for Robin to not go be in 'Terrors.' Basically, the events of chapter 'Learning' took place September 8****th****. Then Robin couldn't sleep and finally slept on September 13****th**** to the 14****th****. September 14****th**** is when 'Terrors' took place. Then the others had a training program lasting September 14****th**** to the 18****th****. On the 18****th**** Superboy and Miss Martian got back to the Cave after the events of 'Terrors.' Because they'd missed out, all six of them had to do the training all over again. That lasted September 18****th**** to the 21****st****. Early in the morning of September 22****nd**** is when this chapter actually takes place.**

**Ugh, that was a nightmare to rewrite. It involved a lot of jumping on the Young Justice wiki from episodes 'Targets,' 'Terrors,' and 'Homefront.' If you still don't get it, it's okay. It was just a way to explain what Robin did between chapter 'Learning' and this chapter.**

**Sorry it took so long for me to update! **

**Happy Holidays (again),**

**-wolfeclipse25**

**p.s. Don't forget to check out my new ONE-shot for this universe called 'Mayan Brains and Octopus Farts!'**

**p.p.s. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Everywhere we gooooo!~~**


	15. Alpha Male

**A/N: Hoy es 4 de febrero de 2013**

** This is based off the episode 'Alpha Male' and the Brian has a French accent (It's a thick accent, so I might have gotten some of its script wrong.). I also put some actual French in it, but I am not learning French (Yo aprendo Español), so there will probably be grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and wrong word usage. Feel free to tell me what I did wrong so I can correct it! (Is 'impertinence' in French just 'impertinence' with French alphabet pronunciations?)**

_** puppylover12: **_**I'm so sorry I take so long. Here's 'Alpha-Male!'**

_**NIGHTMARE:**_** Robin was my favorite character, but my favoritism drifted to Kid Flash. But I still love Robin.**

_** Guest: **_**I'm glad you like my story so much! I know this is probably going to take FOREVER but you're just going to have to wait until I write the chapter based off 'Performance.'**

_** Robin-Is-Totally-Whelming: **_**I know this is late, but thanks and I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year!**

_** Anticsareme: **_**I'm a bit confused with what you're going with that, but go for it.**

_** femrob fan: **_**Thanks!**

_** unknown: **_**By acting practically like a speedster and eating when no one is looking. ;)**

_** Luckyreader2000: **_**Well, your first two ideas weren't what I had planned (but they were good ideas) and the third is half right. Oops! Spoiler!**

**_Guest: _Thanks! I'm sorry it takes so long. :(  
**

** If I missed anyone, I apologize.**

* * *

WHISPER

I watched Robin as he meditated in the corner of the Mission Room. His legs were in lotus position, his hands resting on his knees, and his eyes closed. Around us, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, and a Green Lantern with dark skin were fixing yesterday's damage from the Reds. Black Canary and Green Arrow were attending to everyone else, who were shaken by the actions of Red Tornado. Me? Of course I was shocked, but I wasn't going to let that effect me that much.

I think Tempest and Robin were dealing with it as well. Tempest had been the worst off out of the three of us, but he'd spend nearly 20 minutes in a high-heated cage of _fire._ That means no water, which Tempest needs considering he's an _Atlantean_. But, if he hadn't been in that cage, I bet he would've been able to defeat the Reds courtesy of Water-robot (Rob's name, not mine.) for providing so much water.

Despite this weakness, I think the thing that killed him was the loss of a good portion of the library and his book. As soon as he'd found out the fate of his book and the library, he'd locked himself in his room for three hours straight doing God knows what (I think sleeping.).

Anyway, I was still worried about Robin. He'd been drenched in cold water numerous times and nearly died from lack of oxygen twice yesterday. Also, an hour after the Justice League had come to help us, he'd started to shiver and shake violently. Batman had diagnosed him with a mild case of hypothermia, something Artemis hadn't gotten. Unfortunately, I think the prolonged stay in cold water and being trapped in metal in my civies had affected my way of thinking, because when Batman had said that, I'd kind of freaked and started screaming obscenities while grabbing Robin and vibrating like crazy.

The only reason why I'd stopped in the first minutes of when I started is because Robin had recovered enough to realize I'd gone berserk and knock me out.

So, I was sitting across from my favorite- and only- ninja, when a shadow fell over us. I tilted my head back to meet Batman's eyes. I laughed nervously and said, "Hey, Bats, what's up?" He glared at me and I moved away. Robin's eyes opened lazily.

"Whisper," Batman said, "I need to talk to Robin."

It wasn't a request for me to leave. I understood what he was saying, but I didn't like it. Not at all. Once I walked away far enough so I couldn't hear them (Because Batman would know if I heard), I glared dangerous daggers at his neck. Batman's back was facing me so I couldn't tell what he was saying by lip-reading. Also, Robin had a nonchalant expression on his face so I couldn't tell if it was something that would affect him in any way.

"What's going on?" Tempest whispered when he walked beside me.

Without lifting my gaze from Batman and Robin, I said, "I don't know. Batman wanted to talk about something, but I can't see his mouth and Robin's being the usual indifferent ninja he is."

Tempest nodded in agreement. "Well calm down, you're vibrating and giving Batman the death-glare." I stopped, and stared at the floor, which now held severe marks. I briefly mourned the floor, _I am terribly sorry for my foolishness._

In a moment Batman walked off with a scowl on his face. He looked at Tempest and me and nodded at Tempest. Once he walked towards the other league members, I asked, "What was that about?"

But Tempest was just as confused as I was. "I do not know."

"Whisper, Tempest," Batman said. We both turned our heads towards Batman. He nodded to someone to my left and I realized it was Robin. "Robin. Call the others."

And with the ominous note, he turned to the platform. I mentally snarled at his rudeness and walked towards the others. Once I saw Artemis, I smirked and jumped at her from behind, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Arty!" I yelled excitedly.

Artemis screamed and let out some creative Vietnamese swears. Then she did some fancy judo move and flipped me over her head by grabbing my wrist. Then she was panting and the wind was knocked out of my lungs as I'd been slammed into the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" she screamed at me.

I shrugged and grinned cheekily. "What can I say? I'm in a good mood."

The archer gave me a look of disbelief. "You jump people when you're in a good mood?!" Instead of giving me time to respond, she kicked me in the shin and walked off.

I stood up, limping. Tempest had a slightly bemused expression on his face. "You do know you deserved that." He said.

I nodded, waving the whole scenario off. "Yeah, yeah, I know," Robin rolled his eyes and ran towards Artemis. Probably to tell her what I failed to: that we probably had a mission and Batman wanted us. I started to get up to get Superboy and Miss Martian, but as soon as I tried to take a step, my calves were bound by, as I looked down to see, bolas. I glared accusingly at Robin, who gave me an all-knowing smirk. _Just stay there, 'kay? You'll cause more harm than good if you try anything else._

Thanks, Rob, I feel your trust practically radiating off you.

Anyway, we all headed towards the platform, the light coming from the bottom giving the league members a skeletal appearance. We lined up (More like I hopped until Tempest helped me out of the bolas.) like the dutiful little heroes (Robin, you are not a 'dutiful little hero.') we were, and Batman started. "Due to the… absence of Red Tornado, you are currently without any proper supervision.

"Like a den mother," I piped up.

Batman's mouth looked like he'd tried to swallow a lemon whole. "Yes… a… den mother. You are all underage, minus Tempest technically, so the league members will take shifts as… den mothers starting with-"

"Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!" Captain Marvel shouted, raising his hand and jumping.

We all stared at him in shock.

I didn't know much about Captain Marvel; he was a hero, could fly, had a cape, buff, and had the courage of Achilles. But, I was stunned. Never had I seen such… immaturity from an adult. Not even from me- and that was hard to beat!

Robin only looked faintly surprised. I bet he knows all the Justice League members' secret identities so Captain Marvel acting like that didn't really surprise him. The kid knows everything. It's a fact.

I think Batman was getting annoyed with people interrupted him because his eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "Captain Marvel will be taking the first shift as den mother." Oh? That's good. He was getting used to saying 'den mother.' Or at least referring to him and his comrades as den mothers. "He will also be accompanying you on your mission." A holograph of a in his forties and a moustache (Ha ha, moustache…) appeared. "This is the mayor of Gotham City, Hamilton Hill." He faced us with utter seriousness. "He is the most recent of a series of gorilla attacks happening in Northern India."

Now, I had two questions that popped up in my head when he said that:

First question: Aren't you supposed to be dealing with this being Gotham City's 'hero?'

"Why is a mayor in Northern India?" I asked. Artemis groaned and rolled her head upwards, her eyes closed. Green Arrow looked at his protégé with concern and I saw the Green Lantern give me a wink while holding an amused expression. "Now, I understand that he might like to hunt," I continued, "but in Northern India? That's an entire continent away! And gorillas? Why gorillas-?"

"Thank you, Whisper, for that information. I will keep note of it." Batman interrupted me, his voice strained. I 'meeped' and squeaked out an apology. Behind him, Captain Marvel sent me an encouraging smile. He probably thought I was scared of Batman.

Uh, no? I'm not, but thanks for your concern.

"Anyway-" Batman continued.

"You want us to go to India and investigate the attacks. Got it." Superboy said. He started walking towards the Hangar. "Let's go, M'gann," he said as he was leaving. An angered expression crossed the Martian's face followed by a tired one as she followed Superboy. I thought briefly on what could be wrong. The two truly loved each other and just got together! What could've gone wrong? Well, now that I think about it, Supey's been pretty possessive of Miss Martian lately… Was he being _too_ possessive?

Eh, what do I know about romance?

I felt my collar yank against my windpipe and I theatrically made a choking sound as I was dragged backwards. Then the pressure was released and I was spun around so I faced the way towards the Hangar. "Let's go, idiot," Artemis said as she stalked her way to the Hangar. I was about to follow everyone when weight fell along my shoulders. I looked to my left to see Captain Marvel towering over me and grinning so wide it rivaled the Joker's (No one can beat the Joker's grin. Maybe Robin though. If I ever see his face…).

"You're Whisper, right?" he said excitedly, "I'm Captain Marvel!"

"Hi," I said weakly, still not having all my air in my lungs from Artemis' pull back.

"I've always wanted to go to India!" Captain Marvel continued, "It'll be fun!"

I nodded and he punched the air. "Great!" he shouted.

"Get over here idiot! Unfortunately, we can't leave without you!" Artemis screamed helpfully from the hall.

* * *

As soon as the Bio-Ship landed and the hatch opened, Robin signed several rapid signs and ran off into the darkness. "Robin, wait!" Miss Martian yelled, reached out for the ninja, but it was too late.

"Wow, he's fast!" Captain Marvel said, shading his eyes to the non-existent sun. "Where's he going?" Artemis pointedly looked at me as we walked down the ramp from the Bio-Ship.

I shrugged and said, "He said he was going to scout,"

Tempest nodded. "Miss Martian, did you set up the mind-link before Robin left? Add in Captain Marvel as well."

Miss Martian frowned. "The mind-link should be up. I leave it up most of the time for Robin when we're at the Cave, and I don't remember turning it off." _'Robin?_' she added through the mind-link.

(In the background Captain was like, "Woah! What was that?" And then everyone refused to answer, so I had to explain what the mind-link was to him. Of course Artemis was smirking at me the entire time.)

For a moment, there was nothing (except for me explaining the glories of the Martian mind powers to Captain Marvel) and then, _'Yes,_' I grinned when it was responded in monotone and not as an answer or an acknowledgment.

Rob's coldness didn't affect Miss Martian, because she smiled. _'I'm just checking the mind-link. We wanted to make sure we were in contact with you.'_

'_Okay,_' Robin responded shortly. He sounded overjoyed by continuous contact.

Tempest sighed. _'Do you mind if Artemis joins you on perimeter scout?'_

'_No,'_ Robin said after a moment.

Tempest turned to the said archer. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not," Artemis said. A couple days ago, Artemis would've denied and rant about how Rob was too quiet and she couldn't understand what he was saying and how he always acted without telling anyone anything. Robin was the only one I think Artemis had a problem with; Tempest being the calm, reliable one and me being the strong one that drives her crazy. Robin was a mystery to her. He was always in the shadows. I knew that he wasn't exactly social with the others. But now I think that the whole ordeal with the Reds changed things. She was starting to understand how Robin worked and maybe Robin was starting to understand that the others weren't as bad as the Justice League.

"-flage mode." I exited my reverie and realized that I'd missed what Tempest had been saying. Fortunately, Artemis changed to camouflage mode and using that and the two syllables I'd heard, I figured that Tempest must've told her to change to camouflage mode. "I also think we should split into groups of two. Anyone have anyone they'd like to be with specifi-?"

"M'gann." Superboy cut Tempest off instantly, grabbing the Martian's arm.

I think I heard something snap through the mind-link, and winced slightly.

"Conner!" Miss- no, M'gann, this was between M'gann and Conner- snapped. "Enough, I can take care of myself! I'm not helpless!" She snapped her head towards Tempest, her face stern. "I request a partnership with Whisper."

Alright, Miss Martian's with Whisper- wait. Wasn't _I _Whisper?!

I heard an echo of Robin's laugh. _'Yes, Whisper, your name is Whisper,'_ I must've said that out loud. My expression must've looked hilarious because Artemis was smirking at me.

I quickly changed my face. "Are you sure, Miss M? I mean, there's no one else you'd rather be with?" I didn't have anything about being partnered with Miss Martian, but I would've thought I'd be the _last_ person she'd choose to be with.

She didn't change her mind. "Well, Artemis is probably going to be paired with Robin since she's going to scout with him, I was thinking Captain Marvel would stay with Tempest because Tempest is our leader-" Wait. Pause. Rewind. Did she just say _Tempest_ was our _leader_?

Now that I think about it, he kind of is. I noticed it a little but it never really sunk in that Tempest was our leader. I feel like a cruel friend. Sob sob…

"-and I didn't want to be paired with Superboy, so that left you." Miss Martian continued.

I shrugged. "Alright," I half-heartedly smiled and held out a hand. "I don't believe we've worked together before." She took my hand and I put on an accent. "A pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle. I will enjoy working with you." I kissed the back of her hand.

Then I tried to ignore Superboy's murderous glare directed all on me.

"That's a nice idea." Tempest said, _'Does anyone not like the pairings of Whisper with Miss Martian; Artemis with Robin; and Superboy, Captain Marvel, and me?' _He said the last part in mind-link for Rob's sake.

"_No,"_ we all said. Though I think I heard an angry grumble on Superboy's part.

We all ran off separate ways into the forest (with Captain Marvel's voice being heard through the mind-link exclaiming how 'cool' it was) . It was night (in case you haven't noticed). The trees were deciduous with thin trunks. Ferns and other plants blanketed the ground. In the distance I could see the vague shapes of mountains. I looked up. The stars were bright, well, at least bright compared to how they were at Happy Harbor.

Miss Martian and I were heading towards a river. It ran languidly. I stopped by the edge and looked around, but there was nothing. I sighed and started walking along the bank. Nothing? We were in a forest! Shouldn't there be animals? I haven't seen any since we landed though.

'_Have you guys seen anything?'_ I asked, facing the forest.

Next thing I know, there's a giant splash, a shadow falling over me, water swallowing me whole, and several screams, most from the mind-link. Time seemed to slow as I looked behind. All I could see was a scaly stomach of an animal. Then pain exploded from my right leg, and my vision was swept with blackness and murky shapes. My body instinctively stiffened upon the sudden envelopment in cold water. Dark red seemed to cloud in front of me and I realized with a jolt that it was blood coming from _me._

As soon as I registered I'd been attacked, I started vibrating like crazy in hopes of the animal would release my leg. Two outcomes came out of that: 1) I was released; 2) the movement prompted the blood flow to increase.

When the sharp needles (_very_ big needles) of pain let my leg go, I started to run. Gradually I reached the surface and then I literally jumped to the shore, skidding along the ground. "Whisper!" Miss Martian yelled, "You're bleeding!"

I wanted to yell at her, "No dip!" but the kind, funny Whisper I'd made myself out to be didn't do that, and also it wasn't her fault. Her screaming didn't help the chorus of yells from the mind-link worrying about me (though I didn't hear Rob…). The fresh air was also hitting my wounds and causing burning pain that made my vision fade to black for a moment.

Eventually I had enough. _'Everyone, shut up!' _They did. I tried to gauge the severity of it. I could see holes ripped through my pants, the edges stained dark red. I couldn't even see the actual wound. I tried to stand up and hissed when the pain flared and it couldn't even support my wait, crumpling.

I fell to my knee just as Miss Martian yelled, "Look out!"

I looked up to see the culprit of my pain: an alligator. My eyes widened. It was huge, so big it didn't see natural. And its eyes… They were blood red.

I didn't have time to think about the mutated alligator because- woe and behold! -another walked out of the river. Come to join your buddy, eh? Thanks, thanks a lot.

Their attention was directed at me. They exchanged glances, and I swear they smiled maliciously at me. Apparently Alligator No. 1 liked the taste of speedster-shish-ke-bob and felt obligated to tell Alligator No. 2. No. 1 jumped at me, but it stopped midair and was slammed into the ground. Then the other was thrown back into the water. I quickly realized that Miss Martian was doing telekinesis to move them. "Smack their muzzles!" I yelled over the splashing and roaring. A boulder flew into the air and crashed into the tops of the alligators' muzzles sharply. They roared and ran back into the shelter of their river, though I think they got a little help from Miss Martian.

Then there a silence.

Finally, _'What just happened?'_ Artemis asked tentatively. I think she was afraid I was going yell at her again. I could practically feel through the mind-link that everyone had stopped what they'd been doing.

I sighed. _'I found out that alligators like their speedster shish-ke-bob raw.'_

There was an explosion of response.

'_Idiot!'_ –Artemis screaming.

'_As long as said speedster is intact, I'm okay with that,' _–Robin trying to sound unconcerned, but with a hint of worry.

'_Are you alright, Whisper?'_ –Tempest, all serious.

'_What?'_ –poor Supey all confused.

'_Do they really?' _–Captain Marvel with genuine interest.

"Are you in pain?" Miss Martian asked me, landing beside me.

I tried to reassure her with a smile but it didn't really help. The large amount of blood coating my leg was definitely reassuring. "What do I do?!" Miss Martian asked, her voice rising in panic. (Through the mind-link, I swear I heard Artemis yell something like, _'Hey! Where are you going?! Don't you dare-')_

"Hey, hey," I said uncertainly. Why was I the one comforting? I was the one injured. "It'll be alright. Um," I thought about what needed to be done first. Clean the wound. I'd take off my pants, but Miss Martian was a girl and Artemis and Superboy might kill me if they found out. I settled with rolling my pant leg up gently. Since most of the blood had settled on the actual clothing, we could see the wound considerable better with it out of the way.

"Can you use your telekinesis to get some water?" I asked. She nodded and did what I said. Under my commands she would release water and I'd rub it over my leg, cleaning it, and making me hiss with the added stinging pain. Soon all the blood was washed off and we could finally see the wounds clearly. Several ragged holes, so deep I could see the muscle. It made me wince. I was surprised that the alligator hadn't just chomped its way entirely through my leg. I could also _feel_ it healing, stitching itself back together. It was a painful stinging sensation as well as prickling. As a speedster, I'd always healed fast. But I'd always healed faster than I thought I should've. Broken bones would fix in just an hour, marks that should scar heal in a day. And this would was healing already. I could see the skin slowly working to close. The blood flow stopped and soon there was a thin layer of skin over the wounds. It was just a layer though, I could see the darkness of the muscles beneath it and I felt like if I poked it, it'd break.

'_Whisper!'_ Tempest said sharply, _'Report!'_

'_I'm fine, Tempest,'_ I replied, _'My healing made the wounds doable. They only need time now.'_

'_Can you run?'_

That question got me. Could I? I hesitantly tried to stand. Once I was up, my leg threatened to collapse and my vision swayed. But then it passed. I held back a yell of pain and replaced it with a curse. Then I closed my eyes and took several steps forward. The first ones were fast and confident. Then I dropped down and nearly fell. Miss Martian gasped and reached out to help me, but I waved her off. I stood back up and successfully walked to the riverbank and back.

'_Whisper?'_ Tempest said.

'_I can walk,'_ I said, _'and maybe run, but I don't know about superspeed.'_ I looked at Miss Martian, who was levitating. _'I might not be able to keep up with Miss Martian.'_

Tempest sighed, and even though it wasn't through the mind-link, I could tell. _'So we'll have to have a change of plans.'_

Right on cue: _'Guys, I lost Robin,'_ Artemis said in a tired voice.

'_You mean that tiny, ninja kid that wears all black?' _Captain Marvel asked.

I swear Tempest is rubbing his temples now. _'How did you lose him?'_

'_Well, after we split, I followed him and found him. Then after we scouted, we looked around together. But he suddenly ran off without telling me and I lost him! That little-'_ I tried to ignore the creative Vietnamese words coming from Artemis' mouth.

'_Okay, Arty,'_ I said grinning, _'No need for such colorful language.'_

'_Robin?'_ Miss Martian said. There was no response. The Martian frowned. _'I just tried locating him, but I couldn't.'_

I grinned. _'Okay, since Artemis is partnerless and Miss Martian's got a useless one, how about this: Miss Martian goes to find Artemis and I join Supey and we'll go on our own.'_

'_Are you sure?'_ Tempest asked.

I shrugged. _'Yep, I trust Supey.'_

'_And you, Superboy? How are you with this arrangement?'_

There was silence. Then there were loud crashing sounds. A moment later Tempest said with a sigh, _'Superboy just ran off.'_

'_Oh that's great,'_ Artemis said sarcastically.

'_I'll go find him.'_ I said, _'You go find Artemis, Miss M.'_ And then before anyone could disagree, I ran into the forest.

In my head there were shouts and protests, but I just said, _'What? Did you guys say something? You'll have to speak louder!'_

Finally, Artemis yelled, _'Fine! Get yourself killed you-'_ She finished it with an unpleasant word in Vietnamese that I didn't know the meaning to and nor do I want to know the meaning of it.

I ignored it shouting, "LALALALALALALALALA!" both verbally and mentally.

I stopped in a small clearing. Okay, I'd gotten away. Now all I needed to do was find a lone teenager with series angst issues, in a giant forest, at night, without any help.

I love my odds.

The gods (psssshhhh, gods) seemed to favor me for a moment because I heard loud crashing sounds. I climbed a tree, and in the distance were other trees falling. Falling trees meant fighting, and since I didn't see any figures flying or flashes of electricity or hear Vietnamese curses, then that leaves Supey to be fighting. He does the roaring. Like a lion. Roar.

I mournfully patted the tree I was on. _I will avenge your brethren!_, I thought before grinning at my own ridiculous thought. I jumped down from the tree, careful to land on my good leg, and ran towards the felling of trees. When I tried superspeed, I could manage a little, which led me to believe my wound was done healing the worst. The smaller parts always healed slowly, but I bet it'd be good as new- well, maybe with a few scars- in a couple of days.

Anyway, the scene I'd found Superboy in was not one I'd expect. It was a clearing with a high, rocky ledge. On the ledge was a large- bigger than normal- white wolf. I assumed it/he/whatever-gender-it-was was the leader, or alpha, of the pack because he stood there calmly watching Supey fight numerous other wolves. I narrowed my eyes. The wolves didn't look like normal wolves. They looked more lethal, and they wore familiar looking collars. Subconsciously I reached my hand to my own neck. I had my own collar that looked like that. My eyes widened. Now that I thought about it, the alligators were wearing them too! And collars are man-made things, which meant that there was someone behind all this.

I snapped out of my reverie when I heard Tempest speaking through the mind-link. _'Team, Captain Marvel and I are encountering elephants with collars. Have you seen any animals like that?'_

'_The alligators that attacked Miss M and I were wearing collars and looked mutated,'_ Realization dawned upon me. _'Like they'd been injected with Kobra Venom!'_

'_The collars looked like the ones at Belle Reve Penitentiary.'_ There was a pause. _'And the one that Whisper wears.'_

I could feel everyone directing their attention to me through the mind-link.

'_No,_' Artemis said, breaking the lull and answering Tempest's question, _'We- holy-!_' she cut off the rest of her words with a swear and abruptly stopped talking.

'_Artemis! Miss Martian!_' Tempest yelled, _'Report!' _Then he grunted in pain.

'_Tempest,_' I said, _'stop talking to Artemis and Miss Martian. You're just distracting them. Focus on your fight, I can tell you're getting injured because you're talking. Captain Marvel isn't talking which means you guys are fighting.'_

'_Fine,_' Tempest agreed, _'But I want Robin to report._'

We were both silent, waiting for Rob to say something. _'I don't think he's going to respond-'_ I started.

'_I have encountered numerous animals that match that description,'_ Robin interrupted.

'_Robbie!' _I exclaimed, _'You're alive!' _

'_Don't call me 'Robbie,' 'Rob' is fine,' _Robin said, _'and I could say the same thing about you. If you weren't a speedster, you probably would've had to have your leg amputated. Anyway, I did not confront any of the animals. I agree with Whisper's theory of Kobra Venom.' _There was a pause. _'If it makes you feel any better, Artemis was cut off because she and Miss M encountered a flock of mutated vultures. They are giant vultures, larger than cars, but you know, vultures._'

Tempest sighed with relief. _'Thank you, Robin.' _An edge of humor crept into his voice. _'You do know I'm going to have to tell you off because you abandoned Artemis.'_

'_I know,'_

I started to say something, but I was interrupted by Superboy. _'Shut up! You're distracting us all!'_

'_Alright, Superboy,_' Tempest said.

I perked up when I saw the white wolf moving in my peripheral vision. Superboy had defeated the other brown wolves; it was now the alpha's turn to fight Superboy. But he wasn't expecting it. The wolf lunged with a snarl off the ledge. Superboy heard the snarl and turned sharply behind him, but he wouldn't have enough time to react. That's where I come in. I jumped the wolf, body slamming it midair. We both crashed onto the forest dirt. Superboy's eyes were wide, like he was stunned. Maybe he was surprised at seeing me there.

The wolf- I'm gonna call you Whitey- snapped its jaw while snarling, trying to get a mouthful of speedster in its mouth. I mentally sighed. Why did all the animals love eating me? Did speedster-ke-bob really taste that good? Because, if it is, I might have to try it one day.

I grabbed Whitey's muzzle with my palm on the top and slammed it into the ground. Whitey, instinctively tried to get back up, and as soon as I let go, I kicked him hard up on the jaw. I instantly regretted it. It was shown as I hopped around on my good leg, clutching the calf of my bad, and muttering swears. "Stupid leg!" I hissed. I'd accidentally kicked Whitey with my bad leg.

All during this, Supey was still dumbstruck.

I heard a snarl and then I was shoved to the ground flat on my belly. I tasted the wonderful dirt. I yelled out in pain and whirled my head around the best I could. Whitey had lunged at me and was now standing on my back. Slobber dripped from his open mouth, frozen in a malicious smile. When he'd forced me down, my bad leg had been bent and I'd landed on it. I hissed and swore at him. In response, Whitey growled at me. His head pulled back and I could tell he was going to sink his teeth into my neck and break it into an unrecognizable, gory mess.

Just as I was about to shout my will both mental and verbal, a hand reached out and grabbed Whitey's scruff. Then the hand promptly threw Whitey. The wolf flew over the trees followed by a crash and several more trees falling. I turned on my back and looked up at my savior.

"Thanks, Supey," I breathed. I truly had thought that after six years of living in danger, I was done for.

"Hn," was all he said.

That was the last straw. "Okay," I said standing up and swaying before I was firm, "Do you hate me or something? I know I shouldn't be treating you like this considering you just saved my life, but this entire day you've been acting like I just killed your parents and then tortured your grandmother. What's up?"

"I don't have parents. I don't have a grandmother." He growled.

I snorted. "Well I don't either. It's a figure of speech. I just want to know what the heck is going on with you against me."

Superboy was silent at first, but then he said, "M'gann likes you." His voice was so quiet I barely heard it.

It took a moment for that to register and sink in my head. When it did, I burst out laughing. Superboy looked at me with an offended glare and I waved and apology to him. "I'm sorry, but that has got to be the stupidest thing ever. M'gann doesn't like me! She loves you! She was just-"

'_Ooooh! A tiger! Mr. Tawny!'_

We were silent for a moment after that.

"Was that…? Captain Marvel?" I asked uncertainly.

Superboy looked as confused as I felt. "I think so…"

We then unanimously decided not to see what he was doing and continue our man-to-man/heart-to-heart conversation.

"Anyway," I continued, "M'gann, I think, probably felt suffocated. I've noticed you've been acting quite possessive of her since yesterday."

_Supey wrung his hands. "She nearly died yesterday! If she died on my watch, I could never forgive myself!" Ah,_ bingo. There it was. The root of our problem. The cancer in the cell. The brain in our body. The- oh, forget it.

"Supey, you were caught off guard. You couldn't help Miss M yesterday. Heck, I was mentally beating myself up while watching Tempest up there." A guilty expression crossed Superboy's face. It probably just dawned upon him that I'd nearly lost my best friend in the same situation as Miss Martian. "While you and I were frozen and having a heart-to-heart moment- sarcasm Supey, by the way- and waiting for our cold, water deaths, Tempest and Miss Martian were having the same problem with a hot, searing death. Tempest nearly hugged me yesterday; he was so worried about me." That incident had prompted me to grab Rob and Tempest and force them in a group hug much to Robin's displeasure. He'd practically hissed and arched his back like a cat.

"The point is," I said, "they were worried about us as we were about them. But they can take care of themselves, like you can take care of yourself. Miss Martian just didn't like the way you were treating her. She probably felt like you thought she was weaker than you; and that offended her."

Superboy opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "How would you like it if I thought you were weaker than me? You thought Robin was weaker than you at first, but he showed you that you and he are on equal terms."

When he didn't try to say anything else, I stretched, yawning, and said, "Whether you take my advice or not, is your choice. Just consider."

'_Team!'_ Tempest shouted. I wasn't expecting it, and jumped. _'Destroy the collars on the animals!'_ Supey and I exchanged glances and I could feel uncertainty through the mind-link. _'They should leave you after you destroy them. The collars make them more aggressive.'_

Right on cue, Whitey howled. _Oh, he must've woken up,_ I thought. It would be impossible not to faint after being thrown into trees.

'_Captain Marvel has been captured,' _Tempest said. Oh, great timing, Tempest. A mutant, giant wolf is about to attack Supey and I and you just keep adding to our problems. You just love doing that, don't you?

…

I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I love you bro, please forgive me.

Anyway, _'What?! How?!'_ Artemis said in shock.

'_I don't know. I tried to stop him, but he flew off somewhere, and when I went looking for him, I found drag marks and pylons in a circle.' _Tempest answered. His voice was tense, holding barely contained anger. _'There are also prints of what look like oversized human hands.'_

I frowned at this. _'Oversized human hands?'_ I repeated, _'Do you think that a human took Kobra-'_ I froze when I heard a loud growl coming from the woods.

'_Whisper,'_ Miss Martian said, _'what's wrong?'_

'_I hate to break it to you, Miss M, but Supey and I might not be able to help save Captain Marvel.'_

'_What do you mean?'_ Miss Martian's voice was full of worry.

"I can take care of him." Superboy said.

I looked at him sharply. "Are you sure?" When he gave me an angered look, I quickly added, "I'm not saying that I don't think you can't take Whitey-" I continued on, ignoring his confused look and mouthing of the name 'Whitey', "-I just don't want you to get too badly hurt."

He shrugged. "You can probably get to them faster anyway." I nodded, his logic made sense.

'_Whisper!'_ Artemis was saying when I returned back to the mind-link conversation. _'Answer Miss Martian's questions you dumb-'_

'_Never mind!'_ I interrupted before she could finish. _'I thought we were going to be otherwise occupied, but it turns out I can come but Superboy is going to be battling Whitey so I'll just run and catch up, 'kay?'_

There was silence and then, _'Whisper,'_ Tempest said in a cool voice, _'Who is 'Whitey?''_

'_Whitey is a wolf we're fighting. I just named him Whitey because he was white and I didn't feel like calling him 'the wolf' all the time.'_ I replied. Said wolf was now bounding over, his snout crinkled in with bared teeth. Superboy met him halfway and grabbed him. The two were then doing some wrestling involving the attempted ripping of chunks from Superboy on Whitey's part and binding on Superboy's part.

"Go to the others!" he yelled shooting me a fierce, determined look before focusing back on Whitey, "I can handle this mutt." I nodded and ran into the woods. Colors blurred slightly as I went at a low level of superspeed and soon I was a good distance away from Supey. Then, something big and hard hit me on the head, and pain exploded.

I had time to think, _Is that a gorilla wearing a red beret?,_ before everything went black.

* * *

TEMPEST

I was startled when Miss Martian let out a hiss of pain and shouted, "I just lost Whisper!"

Fear struck me like a lightning bolt, but I calmed myself. "What do you mean, 'you lost him?'"

Miss Martian took a deep breath. "When I connect everyone in the mind-link, I can keep track of everyone's minds because we're all connected. I can even locate someone." My mind flash-backed to when Robin hadn't been responding and she'd said she couldn't find him. "But, I can also tell when someone is cut off from the mind-link. When that happens, it's either because they were forcibly cut off, they went unconscious, or…" Her voice trailed off.

I sighed, rubbing my temples, and forcing down the rising panic within me that wanted to scream and destroy every single atom that makes up this forest just to find Whisper. I swear, he and Robin were going to give me a heart attack one day. "Tell Robin," I said.

'_Robin,'_ Artemis said. Her voice was annoyed but had a slight hint of worry that I'd learned to detect in Robin's facial expressions and body language when Whisper or I got into trouble. _'Idiot's missing,'_

The reply was instantaneous. _'I felt Whisper's mind get cut off. Is that what you meant?'_

Miss Martian had an expression of surprise and impress. _'Yes, did you see him anywhere?'_

'_No,' _Robin replied, _'but I will hunt down every single living being and when I find who took that idiot.'_ His voice thankfully trailed off after that. I did not what to know what Robin had planned for Whisper's captor.

'_Can you meet us back at the Bio-Ship?'_ I asked.

'_Yes.' _His answer was short and I felt he wasn't going to say anything else. I just sighed at the aloofness of him and told the others that we were all heading to the Bio-Ship as a rendezvous point with Robin. Artemis and Miss Martian nodded in agreement and we were on our way.

On the way, Miss Martian told Superboy quickly what happened. I'd heard his reaction, shock and anger, through the mind-link. It'd made everyone wince. He'd then growled and told us not to go after Whisper without him. I could tell he was still fighting the wolf- or 'Whitey,' oh Whisper- so I kindly reminded him that if you broke the collar he'd probably settle down. Instead of heeding my advice, Superboy snorted and said, _'I'll take care of this mutt quickly without any assistance. Besides, I think Whitey and I would still fight even after the collar came off.'_

And despite my misgivings, I said good luck.

We reached the Bio-Ship soon; worry for Whisper making us go faster. There was a rustling of leaves and Robin appeared on top of the Bio-Ship. _'I saw a building that looked like a laboratory earlier. I think that's where they took Whisper.'_

He started to jump back into the foliage, but I said, "No," Everyone looked at me. I looked back at them with a stern face. "We will plan. Remember, Captain Marvel was also taken. Saving two people is harder than one. We could easily not recover one." I looked sharply at Robin. "You should know that better than anyone. Don't be selfish, Robin. We will get _both _of them out, not just Whisper. And we're doing it _together._" My look at Robin intensified. "You are not to go off on your own."

His eyes narrowed. _'Who do you think you are? My leader?'_

I stiffened, but held my ground. I'd seen this side of Robin before, but never was it directed at me. It was one that spoke of death to the person it was directed at.

'_Didn't you hear me call him out leader?'_ Miss Martian added weakly. I tried to think back, and I do remember vaguely her calling me the leader.

'_He is actually.'_ Artemis said in a stronger voice. We all looked at her, surprised. She frowned. _'Haven't you guys noticed that Tempest was always the calm one of us? The one that we followed orders from without thinking? Even if he isn't saying he's the leader, and he doesn't order us usually, he is kind of like the leader of the team.'_ She looked pointedly. _'And that means you have to listen to him, you abandoning, little-'_

I cut her off before she could finish that. _'Thank you, Artemis. To be honest I'd never noticed that before.' _Was it true? Had I really been sticking up for the others that much?

Robin suddenly bolted off the Bio-Ship like a gazelle. "Woah! Knock it off!" a voice shouted. It was Superboy!

"Robin!" I roared, chasing after Robin and grabbing my water-bearers, "Don't attack Superboy!"

'_I'm not,'_ came the cool reply. Once I reached him, I found he was telling the truth. Technically, he wasn't attacking Superboy. More like attacking a white wolf as tall as Superboy (whose shirt was ripped in several places). Robin had straddled its neck and was holding the tip of his tanto to his neck, drawing a trickle of blood. The wolf, in response, was growling, his head slightly turned, but still because if he turned anymore he'd get his neck run through. Superboy was standing to the wolf's left, his hand was clutched around Robin's forearm. He was clutching it so hard that Robin's only visible skin- his fingertips- were starting to turn blue.

My mind flashed back to something Whisper said: 'Whitey is a wolf we're fighting. I just named him 'Whitey' because I didn't feel like calling him 'the wolf' all the time.'

I forced myself to calm down and said, "Superboy, kindly remove your grip off Robin or he will have to have his forearm amputated." _And _you'll_ have something more than a forearm amputated,_ I mentally added as he reluctantly let go. "Robin, please sheathe your sword. Whitey has not done anything wrong; he has his collar off as well." He jumped down off of Whitey, not flinching when the wolf gave him a warning snap of the teeth. His eyebrow rose at 'Whitey.' He clearly knew the connection with Whisper behind that.

I walked in a half circle around Whitey. He followed me with his eyes but didn't move. "So this is the infamous Whitey," I said eventually.

"What?" Superboy said surprised, "Whitey? Oh, yeah, that's what Whisper called him, didn't he? Yeah, this is Whitey, though I'm thinking of a different name for him."

I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw that Artemis and Miss Martian had followed me. "Good we're all here." I turned my head to Superboy. "Tell me what happened from when Whisper left you and now."

"He left saying he was heading over to you guys while I continued fighting Whitey," Superboy started, "I took off the collar and we continued. It was a brawl of who was stronger and both of us were determined to win. But then I got the message from M'ga- Miss Martian-" said girl looked away at the noticeable change of names "-saying that Whisper had gone missing. I finished the fight, and Whitey and I got each other's respect. As I was heading towards where you were, he kept following me. I guess he likes me now." He finished with a shrug rubbing the spot between Whitey's ears affectionately. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Miss Martian gazing at Superboy almost wistfully.

"Thank you, Superboy," I said, "Robin said he'd found a laboratory." I allowed a small smile to cross my face. "Now, I hope we all know that laboratories don't usually belong in forests, so we have a good idea that this is whoever is behind the capture of Captain Marvel and Whisper as well as the gorilla attacks."

"It'll be like killing two birds with one stone," Artemis summarized, snapping her fingers for emphasis.

I nodded in agreement. "Robin, can you show us where you saw the laboratory?"

He nodded and disappeared. Now I may not have the best eyesight as Whisper, but thankfully Robin slowed down just enough for me to be able to track him. As we moved, we constructed a plan. We were missing two of our members, so Whitey would have to replace one. We weren't as strong, so we needed some sort of backup. I spoke my plan and Superboy nodded in agreement. He and Whitey exchanged looks.

Soon we reached the edge of a clearing that had been cleared of all grass. Artemis hid next to me, Robin and Superboy were in the bushes, and Miss Martian was in camouflage mode above us. In the dip of the earth, tucked behind trees and other plant life, was a small building that looked like it was a part of ancient ruins from far away. With closer observations, it was actually a grey building made of vertical panels and shaped in a faint hourglass shape. With us at a higher angle than the building, we could fully see the circle of pylons that _looked_ like they weren't on.

Robin looked at me and I gave him an affirmative nod. Immediately, a small box of light illuminated his face as he turned on his holographic-computer. I saw vague shadows of his fingers flying over the keyboard.

'_I can fly over,'_ Miss Martian offered.

Robin shot her a scathing look, she flinched. His gaze softened a bit (Though that may have from Superboy glaring at him.) and she smiled weakly at his faint apology. _'Unless you plan on being fried to death, I wouldn't. The whole area is surrounded by a spherical force field.'_ He turned his holo-computer screen to prove it, showing a glowing, neon green circle over the building. _'Though, a good shock on the pylons should stop it temporarily.'_ He looked at me.

Artemis ignored it and aimed an arrow. _'I see a target.'_ I followed her one-eyed gaze that was aimed at a control panel next to the entrance. On it was a red button.

'_Get ready,'_ I said. A split second later, I bounded into the clearing and charged my electricity. My normally black eel tattoos glowed electric blue and a scream of electricity split the air as I summoned it all to my hands. I hit the area between two pylons and felt resistance. I pressed against it and soon I heard a _'Now!'_ from Superboy.

Something hissed past my ear, barely missing it. Through the blinding light of the electricity, I saw Artemis' arrow hit true on the red button. The resistance faded and a sound that got deeper came on as the pylons went off. _'Hurry!'_ I shouted.

'_Look out!'_ Miss Martian screamed. Something dark blurred by me and for a brief moment I thought it was Whisper. Then there was a screech followed by hoots. A shower of red rained down like rain. I looked up to see Robin wielding his tanto, which had its tip dyed red, finished with killing a monkey- one of the many that had dropped down from the roof o the building; they were larger than normal, like all the mutants, grey with sharp fangs and screeching voices. The body fell to the ground with a thud. Miss Martian gasped and Artemis stiffed. I sighed. At least it had been a sort of clean kill.

'_You could have just destroyed its collar.' _I said, promptly doing that for one of them. Immediately, its enraged expression formed to surprise. I threatened it with a ball of electricity and it scampered off.

'_Too troublesome,'_ he said shortly.

Superboy growled and cracked his knuckles. _'I hate monkeys,'_

Robin jumped down behind me, landing on his hands. He bent down and then kicked out with both his legs, using the bend for more push and hitting two collars. Then he jumped back onto his feet and whirled around, using the momentum to throw three shuriken. They hit the collars of three monkeys that had cornered Artemis. _'Technically, they're macaques.'_

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the archer give him a nod of thanks. I could tell she wanted to make a biting retort to Robin's correction of the 'monkeys' but she didn't. I continued grabbing any macaque and destroying its collar by physical strength or a hammer formed from my water-bearers or shocking the power of them; they hadn't wanted to fight us, but they were. It wasn't their fault. Unfortuantely, the others didn't see my sentiments. I saw Superboy ripping collars off. Robin and Artemis were doing the same thing- fighting close combat to destroy the collars- but Artemis also used her shock arrows to power down the collars- not unlike I did with my electricity- and Robin just cut them down with a kunai, tanto, or shuriken. I couldn't see Miss Martian, but by the way collars would randomly smash to pieces and macaques flying, I could tell she was doing her part.

Suddenly, the entrance doors opened and out walked… a giant gorilla with a giant, almost bazooka like, gun, a vest for ammunition, and a red beret?

Whisper would've loved him.

This gorilla must be the cause of the gorilla attacks.

The gorilla lifted its chin in the air and sniffed. Then its hand shot out. Miss Martian materialized into view, her mouth open, her face a picture of terror. Her hands rose slowly, trembling, to her trapped neck. A weak gasping sound escaped her.

There was a roar and a snarl at the same time. Superboy flew over me and landed on the gorilla. "LET HER GO!" he roared. He pulled his arm back and punched the gorilla. The gorilla let out a strangled sound and let go of Miss Martian, who collapsed on the ground coughing. Superboy then grabbed the gorilla and threw him _through_ the wall. A cloud of dust rose and the wall collapsed.

I heard an excited shout: "Monsieur Mallah!"

"Whisper!" I shouted back in joy.

"Tempest? Is that you?"

We all ran through the hole, the macaques all gone. We were in a corridor that was dark and purplish. To the right though was a whole set of machinery, hospital equipment, and charts on screens. There were also two operations tables and strapped to them were:

"My dear friends," Whisper announced dramatically, rolling his head but not his body. I think the collar around his and Captain Marvel's necks were restricting their movement. "May I introduce our antagonist for the evening: the Brain!" In the corridor was a small, dark machine shaped like a square for a half sphere on top. The top of the half sphere part of was made of glass, showing a brain with red wires connected to it. "And his sidekick: Monsieur Mallah!" I'm guessing that's the gorilla.

"Impertinence," the Brian said in a thick French accent.

"What?" Whisper said in mock shock, "Who? _Moi?_ Impertinent? That's like saying you've lost your mind!"

"ENOUGH WITH THE FRENCH!" We all looked at the Brain in surprise. Then we looked accusingly at Whisper who laughed sheepishly. The Brain looked at the speedster with disgust. "Ugh, you can take this impertinence with you. I had wanted to dissect his brain-"

"Dissect his _brain?_" Artemis exclaimed. She covered up her worry for Whisper by adding, "Wait, he had a brain?"

"-but he is an annoyance. Take him as you please. The other however…" its voice trailed off. "Mallah," the Brain said, its wheels swiveling towards the gorilla. It nodded and took out a remote control. He pressed a button and pylons surrounded us. They glowed blue and hummed. Intense pressure hit my brain, and we all fell.

'_Miss Martian, Superboy, now!'_ I said. Miss Martian's eyes glowed white and the apparatus flew out of Monsieur Mallah's hands. It went over Miss Martian and she telepathically hit the release button. Right on cue, the wall behind Mallah exploded revealing Superboy and Whitey.

"Go, Supey! And- is that Whitey?!" Whisper exclaimed, half surprised and half excited.

I couldn't resist the triumphant grin on my face. My plan had worked! The plan was that Whitey would go off and find the other side of the laboratory. Then, once we found a way in, Superboy would join Whitey and they'd break in another entrance on my que. It wasn't much of a plan but at least that way we had some sort of back up.

The attack on Monsieur Mallah started with an uppercut from Robin's tanto. The gorilla roared in pain and clutched its hand to its bleeding wound. "Woooh!" Whisper shouted. "Go Robers!"

'_Don't call me that either,' _Robin said, jumping over Mallah and using the gorilla's shoulder as a springboard.

The next attack was from Superboy. He jumped up and landed right in front of Mallah. He punched the gorilla in the jaw and jumped back. Mallah roared again and fired its gun. Rapid fire bullets flew out creating a fast paced beating sound and flashes of light. The firing stopped as Mallah was thrown in the air by Miss Martian's telekinesis and thrown on his back. Then, an arrow hit the gun and it exploded. Mallah whirled its head in the direction to see Artemis in a stance and a face of determination. Robin jumped behind her and they looked at each other and nodded. Then, simultaneously, they threw each and arrow and a kunai. They hit Mallah and exploded.

While this was all happening, I was dodging red blasts from the Brain. The Brain was near Mallah and the others surrounded them. I ran over to the operating tables and destroyed Captain Marvel's and Whisper's collars. "Thanks," Captain Marvel said. He didn't sound the least bit phased by all of this. "Now, one good turn, deserves another." He jumped from the table to the ground where a tiger was lying. He ripped off the collar and the tiger's eyes open.

Once Whisper was released, I resisted the urge to hug him in relief. He saved me the embarrassment by rushing to me and hugging me. "How's the leg?" I whispered in his ear.

I felt him smile. "Fine,"

From there, we joined the others in surrounding the Brain and Monsieur Mallah. Robin looked at Whisper and gave him a nod. The gorilla roared, baring its teeth. "Try it," Superboy taunted punching his fist into his other hand. "I _hate_ monkeys."

"No, Mallah, this will not be our Waterloo," the Brain said- or that's what I think he said. His accent was thick.

"We don't understand you, dude!" Whisper yelled unnecessarily.

Anyway, the machine the Brain was in started unfolding in pieces so apparatuses with red lines of lights on this appeared. He said some words I couldn't decipher. Whisper shouted, "Wait!" and rushed forward.

"Get back, Whisper!" I ordered. A buzzing noise rose and the lights flashed out.

The lights flickered back on and our little circle was empty. "Whisper!" I shouted. He wasn't there! Where was he?! We just got him back!

Movement caught the corner of my eye. Whisper moonwalked backwards into the circle. I had to stifle a laugh. He was wearing Monsieur Mallah's beret! Whisper whirled in a circle, "_Bonjour, mon amis,(1)_" he said in a French was trying not to laugh. "_Arme est un interrupteur de mon ami, ze Brain,(2)_"

"What?" Miss Martian, Superboy, and Artemis said.

Whisper jabbed his index finger at Artemis accusingly. "_Imbécile!(3)_"

Artemis may not speak French, but she knew what that meant. "I'm not an imbecile, you idiot!"

"Oh, c'mon, Arty," Whisper said, reverting back to English, "You know you were worried about me,"

She scowled and started walking past him towards the exit. As she did, she grabbed the beret and threw it to the ground. "Two words: gorilla lice."

Whisper grinned, "One word: souvenir. That's right. This is staying in the Cave, all the time." He took the hat and waved it in her direction. "You see that gorilla lice? Catch it Arty, there screaming, 'Catch me , catch me,'"

Artemis' face contorted in disgust. "You are so disgusting," she walked off with Whisper grinning following.

I noticed that she never said that she hadn't been worried.

"Why did you do that?" I asked Whisper angrily. I thought we'd lost him again!

He gave me a puppy-faced look, his green eyes wide and innocent- everything he wasn't. "I just wanted the pretty, red beret." He said in a five-year-old voice, and clutching said accessory on his head.

I just sighed and said, "Wash it,"

Outside, dawn was approaching, the horizon a soft pink-purple. We all headed to the Bio-Ship where a line of animals with collars was forming. The tiger apparently had started rounding them up for us to watch. There were so many: I saw the vultures that attacked Artemis and Miss Martian (Robin was right, they were huge!); the mammoth elephants that attacked Captain Marvel and I; a pack over-sized, brown wolves; thick, long snakes; other types of birds; macaques; and more. And all came for their collars to be broken! I even saw the alligators that wanted to eat Whisper. When they came up, Whisper ran to them like an old friend screaming, "Ally No. 1! Ally No. 2! Where did you come from!? Unfortunately, speedster-shish-ke-bob is not offered, but I'll take off those collars for you! Does it really taste that good?"

Did that last sentence mean he wanted to eat himself? Should I be worried? This is Whisper after all.

Anyway, Captain Marvel said, "Is that the last of them?" to the tiger. If tiger's could smile, this one did. It opened its mouth and let out a small snarl in reply. "And I can count on you to keep the other animals out of trouble." The tiger repeated the sound. Captain Marvel rubbed the spot between its shoulders prompting it to make a rough purring sound. "I'll come back to visit. I promise," Captain Marvel said.

Whisper used his superspeed to swipe Robin's tanto. Usually, if you took Robin's tanto, you would be writing your own death, but Robin merely gave him a warning look and let him take it. I think it's because Robin was worried about him. Whisper took it and placed the flat side of it on the tiger's shoulders. At first the tiger flinched but he relaxed. "I dub thee-" he looked at Captain Marvel.

"Mr. Tawny," the red clad hero said. Whisper nodded.

"I dub thee, Sir Tawny," the speedster said in a British accent, "ruler of the Northern Indian jungle."

Mr. Tawny let out a farewell roar and bounded off into the foliage. Superboy was rubbing Whitey, who was letting out yips of pleasure from it. "The rest of the pack is gone," he was saying, "What are you still doing here?"

"I think he wants to stay with you," Miss Martian said.

"Can I keep him?" he asked in barely contained excitement. It made me smile, reminding me of a young child wanting a pet.

_'Ugh,'_ Robin let out a sound of displeasure, _'Another mongrel to bother me.'_ He glared at Superboy. _'If he makes a mess anywhere, you're picking it up.'_

"What if he poops in your room?" Whisper asked.

Robin stiffened and reached for his tanto from the speedster. _'Then he dies,'_

"Are you willing to help me do that if he does anything near me and my room?" Artemis asked the ninja. Robin's expression turned sly, the equivalent to a yes.

Superboy didn't respond to that, and judging by the pleased way Miss Martian and Superboy looked, they'd made up from before.

"Are you going to stick with the name Whitey?" I asked.

"I don't know," Superboy responded, scratching between the wolf's ears. "but I'll figure something out soon."

Captain Marvel patted Superboy's shoulders. "Well, I'd love to help you with that, but I'll see you guys tomorrow."

That surprised me. It was a long way back to the United States. "You're not coming back with us?"

"Nah," he said, "Gotta fly," and then he flew off.

I watched him fly off and once he was out of view I walked back into the Bio-Ship. It was time to head home.

* * *

THIRD 

"You really ruined me," the Brain said in its signature French accent. "I should have you eviscerated for this." The person who those words were directed at flinched.

"I apologize," the person said, "it was necessary."

The Brain sighed. "I suppose it was. You're lucky my intelligence is far superior and I understand what you meant."

"Thank you for your mercy,"

"Hmph, you're dismissed." The Brain said. The person bowed and left. Once the person was far away, another jumped down from the blackness surrounding the ceiling.

"You did not see him did you?" the Brain asked. The new person shook his head. "Do you know who it is?" There was a pause. Then another shake. "Good," the Brain said, pleased. As it started to roll away, it said, "I hope you are pleased. I used the word eviscerate, just for you. Now, make it up and be useful."

* * *

**A/N: Who wants Wolf to be named 'Whitey?'**

**(1): Hello, my friends.**

**(2): My friend, the Brain's, weapon is a light switch.**

**(3): Idiot!**

**Originally, I had something different planned for laboratory scene, but I forgot and remembered at the end, so I added that Third POV thing.**

**Whisper's capture **_**killed**_** me for those of you who like Whisper's moments. I kept inadvertently writing scenes that practically screamed for a Whisper retort but I couldn't because I made it get captured. *sob sob* That's why, I decided to write a small side ONE-shot dedicated to what happened when Whisper got captured. It's called 'Impertinence.'**

**Review please!**

**-wolfeclipse25**


	16. Revelation

**A/N: May 5, 2013**

**ALRIGHT, PEOPLE! Wolf needs a name! I don't really like naming things after what they are (with the exception of my cat which I call 'Cat' despite her name being 'Penny.') so I called him Whitey (and decided that Whisper would have **_**awful**_** naming skills) in the last chapter. But, some people don't like that name so I would LOVE it if some people wrote out name suggestions and I'd choose one.**

_**Dextra2:**_** Robin is the very epitome of the word 'cool.' Or maybe it's 'nonchalance'…?**

_** Guest:**_** Thank you SO MUCH. I had no idea what he was saying then, and I listened to him say it like five times. I fixed it, by the way. Thanks again.**

_** A-Bookworm-Named-Steph:**_** Thanks!**

_** Guest that reads:**_** Have you read 'Impertinence?' It's basically Whisper annoying the crap out of the Brain when he gets captured.**

_** Hybrid301:**_** Yeah, Whitey is kind of a bad name, isn't it? I was just thinking of Whisper's randomness and he came up with 'Whitey.' I'm going to ask people what they think the name should be- because to be honest, Superboy's choosing of names 'Sphere' and 'Wolf' were kind of bad. *glowing red eyes appear behind author* And now I run hoping Supey isn't to mad about me saying his naming skills are bad. (WHISPER! SAVE ME!)**

_** Bat-Dove:**_** Speedsters are the bomb. ^.^**

_** Guest:**_** I'm glad I made your week! Unfortunately, I update, like, once a month. It's not like I try to do that, it's just the way it works out. I'm really depressed about it actually. **

_** femrobin fan:**_** Blizzard? That's a nice name. **

_** Shadow62123:**_** I think I might stick with the generic, plot-based 'Wolf' because another person didn't like that name, but I'll ask people.**

_** Robin-Is-Totally-Whelming:**_** OMG! That word! 'Defenestrating!' I searched it when I read this review and I was like, "OHMYGOD! BEST WORD IN THE WORLD!" That's now Robin's second favorite word- second to eviscerating of course.**

_** MythologyGirl: **_**I think Whisper also enjoys getting under the enemy's skin, it's not just a matter of looking like he is. ;)**

_**Guest:**_** Oh, happy belated birthday! By like, three months, but it's the thought that counts. Sorry this couldn't be a birthday gift.**

_** Iloveyourstory:**_** Ha, even if your bribes were $1,000,000,000, I don't think I'd update. Of course I'd LOVE the money, but it's just how I write. I don't try, but it takes me forever to type a chapter.**

_** Guest:**_** Working on it. :P**

_** Guest:**_** No! Please don't cry! This story is far from over! In fact, I'm considering doing season 2 and I wasn't going to originally!**

_** Greenarrow19:**_** Well, I hope this fits your standards. Heh heh…**

_** Guest:**_** Tada! Here it is!**

_** BlackWidow:**_** … ….. …. OH. MY. GOD. It didn't even hit me this story was a year old! Happy belated birthday to this story! (I guess) Thanks for reminding me! It slipped my mind!- I'm an amazing author, aren't I? Oh my god, it's May. My birthday is coming soon again... Scary...**

* * *

WHISPER

My beautifully innocent life (not) and day was interrupted by a giant plant sprouting from the ground. At first I was mad. I was about to do my good deed of the month (though I usually never get to it at all)! You see, for the past month- actually since Superboy joined us- Superman had been ignoring Supey; completely shunning his existence. At first I was like, "Oh, whatever. It's Superman, he'll grow a responsible bone and take care of Supes," but it NEVER HAPPENED.

I know, big shocker.

I'd wanted to use my superspeed and run to the Kryptonian, jump on him, shake his little cape, and scream obscenities about responsibility and Supey. I once tried it, but Robin caught me and tackled me down before I could even take a single step; much to the surprise of the league members present.

I guess it was a good think Rob stopped me or else I probably would've been fried by Superman's laser eyes, and then interrogated by the League (cough, cough-torture-cough,cough), and then killed or sent to prison or something.

But it would've totally been worth it.

Anyway- back to the giant plant. After screaming my frustrations of Superman at the Grand Canyon (earning me some weird looks from tourists) and regained some sort of reason in me, I decided to head to Metropolis (ignoring the fact I was leaving without the consent of our current den-mother, Zatara, and Captain Marvel, who was still at the Cave even though his shift was over), stand on the roof of some random building, pretend to be prepared to commit suicide until pedestrians start screaming in horror and terror, jump _off_ the skyscraper when Superman is visible, hope and pray he catches me, and then _calmly_ talk to him about responsibility and all that great stuff after he lectures me about safety once he recognizes me. Oh, and maybe I'll have to wait to talk to him some more because he might call Flash and then Flash'll try to bring me home, and yeah.

That was a really long sentence. And a really long plan.

I never go to my amazing plan because, while I was calmly walking along the sidewalk-calmly walking towards my maybe impending doom off a skyscraper-, three dark green plants erupted from the ground. They grew thicker as they grew taller and the ones at the sides curled around the thicker middle one. Dark red marks appeared on the stalk and body-thick vines had dark red buds at the ends of them. People started screaming. Fortunately, I was in my 'hero outfit' (Um, Mr. Batman, sir, what do I call what I wear to missions?) so I immediately drew a several arrows from my pouches in my sweatshirt and stuck them in varies places in the stalk as I ran up it.

It gave me a very 'Jack and the Giant Beanstalk' feeling.

I don't bother asking questions about what happens in my life anymore. I just go with it. Like how Jack just climbed up the giant beanstalk. In the stories they say he was curious about what it led to, but I bet he was thinking, "Hell yeah! Giant beanstalk! Let's climb the thing!"

Anyway, the peaceful city turned to chaos in a split second. Cars skirted and made squeaking wails as the buds on the flowers opened sharply- they were pink in the middle!- and grabbed at the approaching police cars like the grabber in those grab machines. Then, they promptly threw said cars into building with a loud crash. I jumped around using my superspeed to my advantage and knotted three of the four flowers. Then I started to braid them- yes I can braid, don't judge me! I had great fun doing that. The vines kept trying to escape, but I was too fast.

"What are you doing?!" I heard someone roar behind me. From the fluttering wind and sounds of fabric flapping, I knew it was Superman.

"I'm braiding!"I yelled back.

"What?"

I reached the end of the vines and stabbed three arrows into each flower. They exploded and the vines recoiled back as their flowers fell off. "Don't judge me!"

"I… I wasn't going to," Superman stammered.

I made my eyes flash wildly. "Liar! You were going to judge me!" my voice rose to a high-pitched scream, "SUPERMAN WAS GOING TO JUDGE ME!" Several onlookers, despite the severity of the situations, gave me the 'WTH?' look. Then I ran off dropping the vines and screamed, "DON'T JUDGE ME!"

My exit would've been amazingly dramatic if the stalk- I'm in a lame naming mood, your name is now Stalky- hadn't decided to attack me. A vine came whipping towards me so strong that when I dodged it, it stabbed a hole in the pavement. I dodged by turning on the balls of my feel. Then I backed up when the entire plant suddenly collapsed in my direction without anything attacking it. I stared at it in shock.

A crackle of static in my left ear alerted me. It was my comm.-link; I'd taken it with me because M'gann's mind-link couldn't reach from the Cave to Metropolis. "Whisper?" Tempest's voice said through the comm-link. In the background I heard the faint screaming of, "DON'T JUDGE ME-!"- wait, was that _me_?

Ignoring my misgivings, I said, "Hmm?"

"What are you doing in Metropolis?" Tempest asked. His voice was taking a familiar tired edge, the edge that says, "Dear God, what did Whisper/Robin do this time?"

"Well," I started, "you know how Big Blue has been ignoring my favorite Supey?"

Tempest sighed and said, "Yes,"

"I decided to 'talk' to him about his treatment." I finished.

There was a pause. In the background I heard a thud. "Tempest, did you just hit your head against the wall?" I asked in an innocent voice.

"Yes, I was actually, Whisper." Tempest said, his voice fully taking on the "Great, Whisper/Robin caused trouble again," tone. "I do hope that by a 'talk' you actually meant a talk."

"Was that my voice in the background?" I asked.

"Yes, it was, Whisper." Tempest replied, "You want to know why?" Before I could reply, he continued. "Because, you went to Metropolis just one of the many plant attacks happened. Conveniently, just as you were shouting to the world that Superman was a liar and judger, someone videotaped it and posted it all over the internet. It has over _1 million_ views."

I was surprised. "They got that on tape? And they already posted it on the internet? Man, that was quick."

"That's not the point!" Tempest snapped, "the point it you publically embarrassed Superman! Also, Batman has a mission for us! You can't just leave the Cave to talk to a senior League member for no reason! What if there was a problem?"

I waved my hand dismissively despite Tempest not being able to see it. "Since when have you cared how we talked about the League?" Near me, I heard Superman make a sound of indignation. "

"What if Robin was convulsing on the ground and you were the only one fast enough to get him to a hospital?"

My blood ran cold. "Is he?" I started to get into the position to run back faster than light to the Cave.

"No," I never knew a single word could reassure me that much. "But do you see now?"

"Hmmm," I said, "I'll definitely consider my actions a bit more before I do them. That doesn't mean though that I'll stop doing them." I added quickly. I can't let Tempest relax! No! Tempest? Relax? On my watch? Not going to happen.

"Just come back," Tempest sighed.

Suddenly, the ground shook. My eyes widened and me and Superman exchanged looks. Right on cue, copy of the previous plant's appearance happened next to the original, but this time it was faster than the original. In the distance I saw waving appendages and knew that more had happened. "Whisper!" Superman said sharply. I whipped my head to face him. "Save the civilians." I nodded. Superman then reached for his comm.-link and said, "Superman to Watchtower, requesting backup." Then he flew off.

"Whisper!" Tempest shouted in my ear causing me to wince. "What's going on?!"

I smirked. "Sorry, Tempest, I'm a little busy at the moment. I'll talk to you later." And then I turned my comm.-link off.

I followed Superman's lead and a started running around. Whenever I saw someone in danger, I grabbed him or her in bridal style and before he/her could register it, I'd moved them to the building where policemen were shouting for people to follow them. I'd assumed it was the shelter until this problem was fixed. Several times I'd had to run up skyscrapers for civilians on the roof. Up there, I caught flashes of Hawkwomen, Hawkman, a Green Lantern, and Superman cutting, bashing, and other things to the plant. They were also flying around whenever they saw a civilian. My ears rang faintly from the explosions, and to be perfectly honest I was on auto-pilot. I didn't know exactly what I was doing. It was like I was watching a movie.

I was in the middle of jumping from a rooftop to another when I someone grabbed my right hand and I was yanked in another direction. My left hand reached into a pocket for a weapon but relaxed when I saw who'd grabbed me. "Hey, Big Blue," I greeted smirking. He sent me a displeased look at the nickname. I swung in his grip, which tightened.

"Can you not do that?" Superman asked. "Flash will kill me if his new apprentice gets killed on my watch," he added in a mutter.

I grinned. "I don't think Flash will kill you, though he may ask for Kryptonite from Batman so I suggest you be nice to Bats just in case Flash asks for it." Superman's face paled. "Anyway, what do you need? Your city is kind of being destroyed by monster plants so I would think you'd want help and since I'm here…"

Superman's face contorted to an expression like he was remembering something unpleasant. "Batman contacted me. He wanted to talk to you but you turned off your comm.-link." He winced. "He didn't sound happy."

I hesitantly turned my comm.-link on. "Batman?" I said, my voice wavering.

There was a pause. "Whisper." Oh, Superman was right. He did not sound happy at all.

"Yes, sir,"

"Come back to the Cave. The Team has a mission."

"Yes, sir,"

There was a click and then nothing. I looked up at Superman who was looking at me with a questioning look. "You can put me down," I said, gesturing to the far away ground. "Besides, the Hawks look like they need help."

"Where do you have to go?"

I shrugged noncommittally. "I just have to run back to the Cave in Rhode Island." I felt his grip loosen and I used that opportunity to vibrate and then dash off. "It was nice meeting you!"

It was only when I was over a city away did I realize that I'd never talked to Superman about Superboy. Dang it!

Not too long after that, my comm.-link came on again. "Whisper, listen to this." Tempest's voice was hard with determination.

I heard a tapping sound and then, "Ladies and gentlemen," Oh, crud. It's a creepy voice. Isn't it Joker? Wasn't he supposed to be in jail? I read it in the newspaper that'd said, 'Batman's New Sidekick?' When did he escape? How many times has he escaped from prison? Whatever. "We interrupt your regularly mayhem to bring you this important announcement from the _In_justice League." The Joker laughed and there was a crinkling sound and then someone else with a deep voice and a European accent- maybe Russian?- spoke.

"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities. If you wish to save them, a ransom of 10 billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit, but the longer your governments wait…"

Joker took over from there. "-the more we get to have our… jollies." He cackled again followed by a static sound as the feed cancelled.

In the background I heard Batman say, "Roger that, Aquaman, the UN will prepare the ransom as a fallback, but it won't come to that." I heard a whizzing sound and then Tempest said, "Count Vertigo, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Adam, and Wotan. That's seven of the major villains out there and all probably behind all the enemies we've encountered."

"There's your secret society," Superboy said. I felt a little ignorant from that comment; it was probably from an earlier conversation.

"Not so secret anymore," Artemis muttered, I barely heard her.

Ever the smart one, Tempest said, "Perhaps after India, they realized we'd realize the truth and saw no point in hiding anymore."

I decided to cut in. "Well then, what do you want us to do? I kinda already encountered them in Metropolis-"

"Robin says that we all saw it when Batman was briefing us on the news." Tempest interrupted.

"-yeah, thanks Rob, love you too." I replied, "Anyway, they're actually pretty easy to handle. They're just big and there are lots of them."

"The League will handle the plants." Batman said before anyone else could jump in our conversation. "I want the Team to find the central control for all the simultaneous plant attacks and destroy it."

"You realize what you're asking them to do?" Zatara's voice was faint, like he was in shock.

"Zats, dude, we'll totally be fine." I said, "The big guns will handle the little guns and the little guns will handle the big guns." I paused and then grinned, and started taking off my clothes. "Hey, it's Backwards Day! Rob, I need you go all ninja and reverse everyone's' clothes. Go wild."

Not even a split second later, Tempest said, "First, don't call Zatara 'Zats.' Second, Robin you are not going to 'go all ninja' and reverse our clothes." I think he remembered the last time we had a Backwards Day. The poor town of Lenning **(A/N: Made up town.)**. It will never be the same. "Whisper, don't even suggest that."

By this time, I'd already made my adjustments. I laughed and pulled my hood on my face. "Too late, Tempy! I already reversed my clothes!" Then I tried an impersonation of the Joker's laugh. I think it came out pretty well.

Artemis didn't share my sentiments. "Are you drunk?!" she yelled. My ear rang.

"What?" I shouted back, "I can't hear anything over my ringing ears! Artemis deafened me!"

"Focus!" Batman snapped. I flipped my hood down. "Zatara, I trust you can find the Injustice League?"

"Of course. Wotan's sorcery is part of how the plants are controlled." Zatara responded, "Robin, could you supply a holo-map? I'll search for signs of concentrated sorceress activity." I heard the sound of the holo-map being formed and then, "_Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!_ There, that is where you will find the Injustice League control center."

"Alright, Robin," M'gann said, "I got the coordinates."

"Um, where do I go?" I asked.

"The Louisiana Body, specifically the Bayou Bartholomew." Tempest replied. Ugh, Bartholomew. I don't like that name. And the bayou's so far away…

"It's so far awaaaaaaay…" I moaned.

"Oh, shut up!" Artemis snapped, "You're a speedster. You'll probably get there before us."

I perked up. "You're right. See yeah, slow pokes!"

And as I ran away, just before I turned my comm.-link off, I heard Artemis scream, "Idiot!"

* * *

Artemis was right, I got there first. Her acuity made me feel happy and sad: happy because I'd gotten there first, but sad because Artemis was right.

She wasn't supposed to be right! And then again she was supposed to be! Argh, this made no sense!

Anyway, I got there early so I had to wait for them. I did scout around and see their headquarters: a circular, dome building in the middle of the forest, standing on pillars above water, with panels of glass as a roof and a giant plant, like the ones attacking, spouting from a hole in the top. Since it was so small, I didn't feel that I could sneak inside without anyone noticing me. The point is I had to wait. A long time. Like, two-hours-long-nothing-to-do long. I couldn't risk detection so that crossed out anything fun.

Careful eyes and perception allowed me to see the Bio-Ship in camouflage mode. When I saw the approaching avian, I was about to scream at them and try to run in the sky. I was going crazy with boredom! There was nothing to do! But then, I saw the air move. I froze, observing this happenstance. The Bio-Ship then started to waver as the distortions grew stronger and became more defined; looking like pulses. Then I saw a tall man with close cut, white hair, sharp features, and wearing green along with a cape. He was standing on a plateau-shaped rock in the middle of the bayou with a face of concentration. The pulses seemed to be coming from his forehead and behind the rock was a broad-shouldered man with thick muscles and the features like an angry dwarf. He wore a dark black-red suit with elbow length gloves, a lightning bolt on his chest, and knee length boots all a dirty yellow color. I recognized both of them: Vertigo and Black Adam respectively.

The Bio-Ship started wavering in the air, falling a few feet every now and then and shaking, and flickered back into full view. "There it is, Adam! Go!" Vertigo shouted. A malicious grin grew on Adam's face and he jumped up. I growled. Not on my watch, buddy.

I used my superspeed and body slammed myself into Black Adam. Now, I suggest you don't do this because Black Adam apparently is not like Clayface- or Ugly, as I affectionately named him- and will not be malleable for you once he smash into him. Apparently, humans, or Black Adams in this case, have a hard, painful impact once traveling at 50 miles per hour and both organisms will fall to the ground at the same 50 miles per hour at a slant and will slide across the ground. Friction will then occur and you may get second degree burns, most likely third degree; both are disgusting to look at and make me want to upchuck my last meal- actually my last three meals.

Fortunately, Black Adam had his back to the ground with me on top of him, so he took the brunt of the blow- or blows. I was actually afraid to see his back.

The force probably bruised my arms as they hit Black Adam first, though.

Anyway, my healing kicked in as I was panting/coughing for air and rolling off Black Adam. My body felt like it was on fire and my eyes stung with the dirt and dust that also obscured my vision. The fire on my body was added with the painful prickling as I was healing whatever injuries I got. The pain was worth it. Third degree burns are nauseous to treat and take forever to heal as well as leave scars, but not on me.

The dust was suddenly thrust apart and a fist came flying towards me. I darted out of the way and the fist hit exactly where my head had been. I swung my leg into a sidekick and hit something hard with a sound smack. The dust was clearing a little by this time and with my eyesight I could see the vague silhouette of Black Adam. His head was bowed from my kick. Before he could do anything else, I ran away backwards and skid across the earth so I was still facing him. Then I shot several arrows equipped with serrated blades. They sunk into Black Atom and in the middle of his scream of pain they exploded. When the new dust settled, he collapsed on his back and was still. I waited, tense, for several minutes, and then the crashes in the distance called to me and I ran off, but not before tying a bolas around Black Adam.

I was greeted by the sight of the Bio-Ship parked in a swamp and the Team running around dodging sonic waves from the ever-blasé Vertigo. He would merely shift his head and send out his pulses and the Team was scatter like ants. Or bugs. Wait, Rob's not a bug. I don't think Tempest is one either. The others might be. Nah, they're bugs for certain. Just not at 'tick' level. Maybe ants. Anyway, the whole scenario was like a ripple effect with the Team being the water and Count Vertigo as the pebble.

I zipped by Vertigo so close I saw the slight widening of his eyes in surprise and slapped and arrow down his shirt. I was gone even as the bomb exploded. I ran towards the Bio-Ship and hid behind it. The rest of the Team joined me. I looked through a crack and saw that my bombs, though small and weak, had thoroughly destroyed the count's cloak and scorch marks and holes riddled his clothes. His attack had stopped and he was seething with anger. Wow, I didn't know someone could care so much about an outfit. "I will kill you, speedster." he promised in a cold voice.

Then he sent out more sound waves, stronger than ever. I felt a burning gaze and saw Artemis looking at me with disbelief. "Your clothes are backwards." Robin cackled.

Tempest groaned. "Whisper,"

I shrugged. "Why are surprised? I told you it was Backwards Day,"

Miss Martian suddenly let out a small whimper and clapped her palms to her temples. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's hurting her!" she exclaimed.

Hurting who? Everyone was fine! Then it hit me. _No way._ I thought looking at the Bio-Ship. "The Bio-Ship's alive?!" Robin rolled his eyes. "You knew?!" I gaped at him. He sent me a 'who do you think I am?' look. Oh, right. This is Robin, the paranoid ninja that knows everything. Even about extraterrestrial beings apparently.

Miss Martian shot me an angry look. "What do you mean?" her voice was sharp.

I waved my hands in surrender. "Sorry! I just didn't know and was surprised!" She accepted my reply and her death-glare was lifted. Despite her innocent appearance, she looked terrifying!

I turned to Robin. "Any ideas on how to deal with Vertigo?" Robin raised his index finger as if to go on a long rant and then lowered it, shooting me a 'are you joking?' look. "Well, you're the plan-guy usually!" I protested.

"Great!" Artemis exclaimed, "We're stuck here! And we still know nothing about their hideout to deal with it!"

Tempest snapped his fingers as a light bulb lit up in his head. "What if, some of us create a distraction and the others get away, then the ones that created the distraction get captured. We can stay in contact using Miss Martian's mind-link. That way, we know the inside and out and can formulate a plan."

We all stared at Tempest in shock. "What?" he said back, oblivious.

"Never mind," I said, waving my hand. Then I clapped my hands together and rubbed them back and forth. "Now who wants to get captured?"

No one said anything despite Count Vertigo's continuous attack.

"He's getting closer!" Miss Martian shouted, her grip on her head becoming tighter.

"Calm down," Tempest said. "Robin, Superboy, and Whisper will be captured."

If I'd had been drinking something I would've spit it out. "Excuse me, _who's_ getting captured?"

Tempest gave me a hard look. "You are. Along with Robin and Superboy."

"Why? Do you really hate Rob and me that much? And how could you separate Supermartian again!?"

"What about Wolf?" Superboy asked. Said canine flattened his ears and whimpered. It looked oddly cute on an animal that was taller than the average man.

Tempest sighed. "We don't have time for this! But if you must know why, then it's because I'm the so called leader, Artemis is better at long range, and I think Miss Martian should stay near the Bio-Ship." He turned to Superboy. "Wolf will be safe with us." As if to prove it, he rubbed Wolf between his ears. "Now _go._" He pushed me out with a shove. I squawked nonsense at them as I watched their retreating silhouettes. Only when I saw Artemis give me a cocky smirk did I snap out of it.

Robin had jumped into action at Tempest's 'go.' Immediately, I lost him to the shadows and small rounded pebbles hit Vertigo's head. The pulses faltered and the count's eyes closed as he concentrated on keeping his attack going. Superboy roared and a boulder came flying Count Vertigo's way. _When did he get that?!_ I asked myself in shock. I was usually more observant than this! Was I going soft?!

I ran towards him. Vertigo saw him and his eyes hardened, I guess he remembered me from destroying his clothes. "You," he growled. He sent his pulses at me, but I ducked and jumped around them until I reached him then I gave him an uppercut to his chin. The pulses stopped as the Vertigo's head snapped back. I used this time to run a safe distance away. Vertigo recovered and looked around frantically, his mouth clenched in a scowl.

It hit me on what he was looking for. "Looking for your minion, Black Adam?" By the way he visibly stiffened, I'd say he was. "Well, I kind of took care of him. You might want to get his back treated for third degree burns though. I feel bad for you. Those burns are-AAAHHHH!" My speech was cut off by a scream as Vertigo shot singular pulses at me forcing me to run around and dodge. "Verty! What did I do wrong this time?!" I screamed.

Vertigo growled, "It's '_Count Vertigo_, peasant, not 'Verty.'" I was hurt. He spat out my nickname like a spicy, red jalapeño. "There's no way a peasant like you could've defeated Black Adam."

"Well, I did, so you can ki-" Robin then decided to save me by drawing his tanto and swiping at Verty. Verty dodged them and tried to fire at Rob, but the little ninja was too fast. "You should've been named 'Shadow' instead of Robin!" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. Somehow, in the middle of the lightning fast swiping and stabbing, Robin sent a shuriken my way. Even though I was running, it still hit exactly where my neck had been not a split second ago.

He's a ninja! There's proof!

Superboy decided to jump and with a yell of, "Get out of the way!" He jumped at Vertigo, his fist reached out. Rob ducked just as it was about to make contact and it hit Vertigo's chest harshly. He skipped like a rock across the water.

I zipped to Superboy. "Dude! We're not allowed to kill him!"

Superboy's eyes widened. "I… didn't mean to…"

I understood immediately. "Don't worry! You didn't really kill him." I looked over in the direction Vertigo had flown. "At least I hope not… We have to get captured." I whispered the last part so Verty wouldn't hear me. Robin rolled his eyes. I swung my index finger at him. "And YOU!" Rob started looking at his nails to avoid eye-contact with me. "You need to lighten up those attacks! You're going to end up killing him before Supey does!"

Robin rose an eyebrow and signed, _Is he dead?_

I tapped my chin. "That might be a good thing to check. I zipped over to Verty's motionless body. For a split second my thoughts went haywire. _I could kill him right here. But the mission takes priority. We have to get captured. Why do all our missions involve us getting captured? I mean, there's this one, when the Reds attacked, and I got captured by Monsieur Mallah- not in that order. That reminds me, I have to wash the beret. I found a suspicious bug in the beret and I am _not_ looking forward the Artemis, "I told you so!" if I get gorilla lice. Stay focused, Whisper!_ I reprimanded myself. _Where was I? Oh year, killing Verty, here. Since when have I cared about 'missions?' When did I start caring about them at all? _I sighed, closing my eyes and tilted my head to the sky. _Guess my list of kills isn't growing today._

Suddenly my throat was gripped in a vice grip. My eyes snapped open and my hands, shaking, lifted upwards to try to stop it. _What?!_ I thought,_ My thoughts run faster than a humans! I wasn't thinking for that long! _Pressure started building up in my lungs and along with my throat, starting to ache. My mouth opened unconsciously for air.

"LET HIM GO!" I heard Superboy shout. I could tell I was going unconscious because even though I knew that he was shouting, it sounded faint and everything was blurred, blackening. A black blur reached my peripheral vision. It struck at Vertigo but he merely turned his head and sent pulses out. I felt like the black blur was Rob and knew he was going easy on Verty (a small part of me said that if I was dying Rob _would_ kill Vertigo- the thought made me want to laugh). As soon as the pulses hit Robin, he fell midair from the force. I saw a flash of gold and then I passed out.

* * *

I was greeted by a gold ceiling, floor, and bars when I woke up. Instead of causing chaos (Oh, the Brian, good times, good times,) or panicking (…Um, when have I ever panicked when captured?) I just lay there. I closed my eyes as soon as I'd opened them. Soon, I heard the shuffling of cloth and I tilted my head, not surprised at seeing Robin sitting with his back perfectly straight and in lotus position. He opened one eye, and the pupil darted outwards. I followed the direction and saw a tall man with black hair that points like devil horns attached to sideburns so long they connected with his long beard. He had large, red eyes (that contrasted against his pale, blue skin) under thin, arched eyebrows and wore some kind full body, pure red armor. A high collared cape with gold accents adorned his shoulders. I closed my eyes again.

My eyesight was always better than my hearing, but I tried to listen on what they were saying. Wotan was laughing. "I can't believe you nearly got beat by _three children._" His voice had some kind of accent to it, but not like Vertigo's.

"Shush, they are not ordinary children. The blonde and brown-eyed peasants are trained well compared to the blue-eyed one." Vertigo snapped. He sounded like he was above us. Was his standing on the cage? "What is Adam's condition?"

Wotan sobered up. "Not good. The one that took him-"

"The blond speedster," Vertigo interjected.

"-did quite a great deal of damage to him. His abdomen carries a faint bruise and the front of his body carries cuts with a scorch marks around them. His back and arms are covered with friction burns ranging with high level second degree to low third degree. He'll be able to fly this cage to our HQ but then he'll be unable to fight for a while." There was a pause and then, "What exactly did that speedster do to him?"

"I don't know," Vertigo replied, "I sent him after the red ship after I hit it, but something hit him at high speeds and knocked him aside. I decided to go after the ship and let Adam deal with the other. Only later I was informed by the speedster that the peasant had dealt with him."

"Did you know that when you hit someone at high speeds you'd skid across the ground and form harsh friction burns?" I asked offhandedly, bending a leg and balancing the other on it and staying on my back. I tucked my hands under my head as pillow. "I was lucky Black Adam was below me or else I would've had to sport those burns myself." I sighed theatrically. "I keep fainting on missions. If Bats found out, he'd probably send me on some training thing that he'll know I'll hate."

"Peasant," Verty growled.

"Verty," I replied cooly.

"Verty!" Wotan laughed. "The kid's got you, 'Verty!'"

I had a feeling Wotan didn't really care about anyone, same with Vertigo. Wotan suddenly widened his eyes in surprise and laughed again. "Ha! Your clothes are backwards!"

I enthusiastically- not- fist pumped the air. "It's Backwards Day!"

There was a thud from the roof- from Vertigo stamping his foot maybe- and a growl. Near me there was movement and a groan. "Supey!" I cried happily, my eyes widening.

"Ugh, what hit me?" he groaned. He blearily looked at himself. "And why is my shirt inside out and backwards?"

I looked at Superboy's shirt and sure enough the red, Superman 'S' was absent on the black shirt and I could see the shirt's tag on the collar. I laughed. "Rob!" Said ninja only looked amused before avoiding Superboy's glare. Superboy growled and fixed his shirt. Still laughing, I thought back to my last thought before anoxia caught up to me. There had been a flash of gold light surrounding Superboy… and the cage we were in was gold. "And as to what hit you, Wotan's magic did," I supplied.

Superboy jackknifed upwards. "What?!" He looked around and crawled to the bars. I was surprised by the speed. Then he grabbed them and pulled. The bars bent slightly but didn't move much more.

Wotan laughed- again. "Ha! You have no faith in my magic, 'Verty.'" Ugh, magic. It always messes things up. "Even the Superboy cannot break it!"

"That does not matter." Vertigo countered, "There are three others out there, and they can easily try to free their comrades."

"They can try," Wotan sneered, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head. I rolled my eyes.

'_Miss M?'_ I thought, looking up, or in this case… I don't even know. I'm lying down and 'up' isn't really up, but I can't really tell what direction it is and… Man, this is confusing.

Anyway, Artemis replied first: _'The idiot lives!'_

'_Shut up_, Arty_,_' I shot back.

'_Whisper, we saw you getting choked-'_ Tempest said.

Miss Martian interrupted him, _'Whisper! You're alright! How is Superboy?'_

'_Way to Rob feel loved!'_ I pouted. Robin wouldn't have said anything even though he could talk and hear the mental conversation as well as everyone else.

'_Sorry, Robin!'_

'_It's fine,'_ Robin replied shortly, not in a bad mood way, he just liked keeping his answers simple.

'_I'm alright, Miss Martian.'_ Superboy- finally, dude! Your GF was about to have a panic attack if you didn't reply!- said. His voice sounded strained, like he wanted to say more. I remembered in our last mission how he and M'gann had been fighting and made up afterwards. Maybe they came to some sort of compromise that kept them professional during missions? _'I didn't do much; Whisper was worst off of us all.'_

'_Are you alright?'_ Tempest was finally able to say without interruption.

'_He has bruises around his neck.'_ Robin deadpanned.

I instinctively reached for my neck. _'Hey! The bruises are fading!'_

'_Are they really?'_ Artemis pressed.

I smirked. _'I didn't know you cared!'_ I was going to say that every time she looked like she actually cared for me. Oh, this is going to be fun.

'_Shut up, speedy! You got yourself in that mess! You deserved that!'_ Artemis yelled.

'_Ow,'_ Miss Martian whimpered.

'_Sorry, Miss Martian/M,'_ Artemis and I chorused upon hearing that.

'_Anyway,'_ I said, reverting back to what I'd originally wanted to say, _'I need you guys to attempt to rescue us. It has to look realistic too.'_

'_Why?'_ Miss Martian asked. Superboy was looking at me, the question in his eyes.

'_Verty-'_ at this Tempest sighed at another nickname, _'-is worried about you three-'_ There was a growl and I wasn't sure if it was Wolf or Superboy. _'-sorry, you four. I bet if you four try to rescue us it'll make it seem more real and they actually captured us.'_

'_Fine,'_ Artemis sighed. Instantly there was a clang as something hit the floor of the cage, and a split second later it exploded. The cage leaned and Vertigo started yelled as he started to slip off the roof. Wotan yelled back and underneath Black Adam started groaning as he tried to support the weight.

'_Arty!'_ I yelled accusingly.

'_What?'_ she replied offhandedly, _'You wanted me to try to rescue you. I'm just doing my part.' _Another arrow came whistled and I saw the sliver of black against the sunset sky. Vertigo saw it too and send pulses at it. It faltered and fell, a boom echoing in the air as the bomb on it exploded. Artemis swore. _'That was a waste of a good arrow.'_

'_And what was the last one?!'_ I yelled at her.

I could feel her shrugging indifferently. _'That one scared you. It was worth it.'_

'_Artemis,'_ Tempest reprimanded.

'_Hey!' _Artemis protested, _'This is how I'm rescuing them! If you have a better way, then go for it!'_

Tempest sighed and a moment later I saw him rising fast on a swirling pillar of water, his eel tattoos contrasting the dim lighting. He twisted the water and it rushed at us, sparking with electricity. Wotan put up a dome like shield and the water hit it, looking like a firework through the translucent, gold barrier. As soon as it fell, a tree took its placing, spinning slowly as it was flying at us. Robin rose an eyebrow at the approaching tree. He was amused. "Dude!" I yelled at him, "Now's not the time to be amused by a flying tree-" oh who am I kidding? I flying tree is always amusing.

Robin got a satisfying look and nodded. _Exactly._

The tree didn't hit us though (very unfortunately), and as it passed, the reality of how fast it had been thrown came full throttle. Then, Miss Martian appeared, carrying Artemis. The archer had one eye shut, the other focused on three nocked arrows. Pulses were fired at them, and Artemis vainly tried to send her arrows at us but they fell just like her second one. Through the mind-link, I heard her swear in frustration and it also came out verbally. Wolf suddenly appeared and jumped up. He scrambled to stay on the cage, snapping at the bars. The pulses' range widened and all four of the others were caught in it. The girls let out a scream and Wolf yelped as he finally lost his grip and all three started to fall. Tempest faltered from the pulses, but he caught the edge of the pulses and stayed afloat. He was still wincing, one eye open. He spotted them falling and summoned water with a yell. The water rushed up, forming a bowl shape at the top, catching them safely. Tempest sigh of relief was visible. During this, I'd gotten up and was leaning against in one of the corners of the cages so I could see what was happening.

"Aww, c'mon, Tempy!" I complained, shouting, "You _had_ to catch them?"

"Whisper!" the Atlantean rebuked aloud.

'_What's the idiot doing now?'_ Artemis asked.

"Well, I don't mind Miss M, I actually like her. But Wolf's name needs to be changed." I admitted.

"_Whisper!_"

I bent my head slightly, closing my eyes and holding my hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine, I don't want them dead. I'd miss Miss M's cooking anyway and playing tag with Wolf."

Tempest sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head in his palm. "Why do I even bother anymore?"

I shrugged, raising my hands. "I honestly don't know."

'_You know what? I don't think I want to know,'_ Artemis said.

Vertigo growled from above. "Impertinent peasants," Wow, I was called impertinent in my last mission as well. Why do villains use the word 'impertinent' so much? I guess they just think highly of themselves. Verty's name is _Count_ Vertigo- not that I'd ever call him that. And the Brain had a French accent. Not to be racist or anything, but when I think of the French, I think of fancy, frilly dresses and lords and dukes; high, upper-class people, the ones that grew up in a fancy, sophisticated environment.

Okay, enough of my racist-sounding speech, and back to Verty's rage. He sent out pulses again, and I could tell they were stronger than the previous ones because they were thicker and shook the air around me even though they weren't directed at me. Rob could feel it as well because he caught my eye and tilted his head in acknowledgement. Tempest was forced to lower the water he, the girls, and Wolf were on to avoid the blasts. I held onto the bars and shouted, "Relax, dudes! We'll live!- hopefully!"

Whatever reply they'd wanted to say was lost as Wotan shouted in a panicked tone for Black Adam to rush back to HQ with the promise of rest as well as Vertigo's threats if we got out. Me? I lay back down and closed my eyes.

It was actually relaxing.

* * *

I was rudely interrupted out of my reverie by a bump, a slight drop in the levels, and a vice grip on my upper arm. I grumbled about the blasphemy treatment I was receiving, and opened my eyes. They were met with steel grey, harsh, cold eyes. "Peasant," Vertigo growled at me.

I smirked. "See something you like?" He slapped my head. "Ow!" I yelled. He dragged me by my arm, prompting pain from healing burns and dropped me between two rods that were thicker than me and taller. They were colored dark green and black and a techno-pattern, like on microchips and colored gold, glowed on them. As soon as Verty let me go, gold roofing slammed into place above me along with surrounding bars and floor. How a floor got under me while I was on the ground is beyond me but I digress.

Because the… I don't even know what to call them, because they _aren't_ rods. Um… fine! I'll stick with rods. Ugh, because the _rods_ were at a slight slant, I could see Robin to my right and Supey to my left in similar pens. _'We're in,'_ Robin stated through the mind-link.

'_Good,'_ Tempest replied immediately, _'What's the situation?'_ I looked around and to my surprise the _rods_ were actually roots of a giant, plant-like tree that had the same designs as its roots. My mind flashed back to when I'd first arrived- I'd seen a circular building with a dome roof made of panels of glass, but the center had a hole in it and some plant sprouting out of it. The light had been too dim and it'd been too far away for me to see it clearly, but now, sitting at the foot of it, I held no qualms that this was the same plant.

It was surprisingly bright and spacious in the dome building. The walls were tall, the border of glass and actual wall shaped in pointed arches. The lighting had a teal tinge. The only things in it were a giant plant- its roots sprawling all across the floor and actual greenery sprouting from it-, a high (like 20 feet in the air high) platform, and a runway leading from the platform, through the stalk, to another smaller platform. Lying off to the side of the platform, and stroking the plant, and lying on a higher level than us, was a woman with red hair and pale green skin and wearing a dark green leotard. The same shade green colored markings on her face, shoulders, arms, and surrounded her neck. I couldn't see what was on the platform because I was below it, but from what I knew about the members of the Injustice League, I'd say the Joker, Atomic Skull, and Ultra-Humanite were also on it. Besides that, it was empty. I told this all to Tempest who was quiet after, probably just processing the information.

'_Batman said that when they took a testing of a plant bit, it contained Kobra Venom.'_ Tempest started, _'Zatara thought that Wotan also used his sorcery to help control the plants. The plants are obviously Poison Ivy's doing, and you say that there are designs on the plants showing evidence of technology on the plant in the HQ? Ultra-Humanite may have used his technology as well. Since four members have contributed to the making of the plants, I wouldn't be surprised if Joker's venom was in there as well. Also, since plant is without a doubt the largest one and the only one with markings so it's fair to say it's the 'leader' or mother of all the plants. If we destroy it, the others should die.'_

There was silence as we all processed this. Then it hit me. _'Are you saying…'_ I started slowly,_ 'That all this time we could've just destroyed the plant and been done!?'_

I think Tempest could see I was aggravated. _'Whisper, we have to take precautions on missions-'_

'_How is us purposely getting captured 'precautionary!?' _I didn't care if that wasn't a real word. I was waiting for two hours for them when all I had to do was destroy a giant plant that I could've named 'Stalky" but I'd decided to wait for everyone and we'd had to get captured instead! Do you know how much sooner we'd be done this mission if I hadn't waited for the rest of the team?! Much quicker! And I wouldn't have had to expose my eyes to the horrors of third degree burns! But I would've missed showing everyone it was Backwards Day… Anyway, the point is I've been captured the past three missions and I've had enough of being captured! And I could've went back to my original plan of YELLING AT SUPERMAN!

I expressed the last paragraph to the rest of the Team with lots of capital letters and inserted swears that poor Superboy's ears had to endure.

Finally: _''Stalky?''_

'_Shut up, Arty! Technically, it'd be Stalky Jr. because the original Stalky is currently tearing Metropolis apart! And, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not good with nicknames and I'm proud of it!'_ I yelled, still worked up after my tirade.

'_Wouldn't it be the other way around?'_ Artemis asked.

'_It's true,'_ Robin confirmed, ignoring Artemis' question, _'He calls me 'Rob,' calls every monster 'Ugly,' called Zatara 'Zats,' calls you 'Arty,' and has called Tempest 'Tempo' and 'Tempy.' Oh, there are more but too many for me to list.'_

I smirked. _'Says the guy that called Red Torpedo and Red Inferno 'water-robot' and 'fire-robot,'' _A kunai passed through the bars from my right and nearly hit me. _'Rob!'_

Superboy shrugged next to me. _'You were asking for it.'_ Was he mad because I swore in his presence?!

I voiced that thought in shock, but before I could finish it, Miss Martian interrupted me, _'Don't!'_

This caught everyone's attention. _'Don't what?'_ we all asked her.

'_Um,'_ Miss Martian said stuttering over her words, not sure what to say as an excuse for whatever it was. _'Never mind,'_

'_Sure,'_ Artemis said sarcastically but she let it go.

Not a second later, I heard, _'I erased what you said in his mind, Whisper,'_

I exploded. It didn't matter; Miss M had put us in a private chat anyway. _'Why would you do that?! Didn't Tempest give you a big speech on manners when treating the human mind in Bialya?!'_

'_Of course he did, but Superboy was frozen!'_ she protested, _'I only did it because he wouldn't respond to what anything I did!'_

I took a deep breath. _'Okay, okay. Note to self: No swearing in Supey's presence.'_

'_Please don't,'_ Miss Martian agreed.

'_Alright,'_ I said, clapping my hands together after Miss M had released the private chatroom. _'How are we blowing this baby up? Rob could throw bombs, Arty could shoot an arrow with a bomb, Tempy could electrocute the thing- ooh! I could vibrate through the –'_

'_Speedy!' _Artemis shouted, _'Calm down, geez you sound like an arsonist.'_

I did my Joker impersonation. _'Maybe I am…'_

Tempest ignored this and said, _'Besides, Whisper, even if you can vibrate through, it's a 40% chance you'll make it through without a nosebleed.'_

'_A nosebleed?'_ Superboy asked.

'_When Whisper tried to vibrate through solid objects, he gets nosebleeds.'_ Robin replied, _'The first time he did it was hilarious! He went through the wall but got snapped back out of it like a slingshot- his expression was _priceless_-'_

'_Okay! That's enough!'_ I interrupted. Robin was too busy laughing his evil, little laugh.

'_I don't know,'_ Artemis said thoughtfully.I swear she was smirking. _'This story sounds interesting.'_

'_It does!'_ Miss Martian agreed, oblivious. I hope that she won't always be ignorant of how us 'Earthlings' work.

'_Whisper got snapped backwards out of a wall, all the energy he'd used rebounding back at him. He's doing better now, only sometimes getting only nosebleeds, no more. End of story.'_ Tempest's tone was cold and serious. We all sobered up. _'Like Whisper said, we have already wasted enough time searching for clues that were already there. This mission could've been done hours ago, but we remained oblivious and that cost us time. Miss Martian, you will fly Artemis onto the roof. Artemis then will attack the plant. On the opposite side of the roof, I will enter and create a diversion. Whisper, break free and help Superboy free as well. Then, you two will take part in the diversion. Wolf will wait for us outside the base as a fresh reinforcement after we get out and have to face the Injustice League in combat. Robin, I trust you can get out without assistance-'_

'_I can,' _the ninja confirmed.

'_Good,'_ Tempest said. _'I need you to plant bombs, stab the plant, anything that'll cause damage on the plant-'_

'_Can we just call the guy Stalky Jr. and call it a day?'_

'There was a pause. _'Why?'_ Artemis asked in disbelief.

I shrugged nonchalantly. _''Cause it's better to call it 'Stalky Jr.' than 'the plant' all the time. 'The plant' gets old.'_ For emphasis, I exaggerated whenever I said, "the plant" and physically made finger quotes around said words.

Next to me, Supey gave me a weird look like, 'What is that weirdo doing?' _'Is that how you came up with the name 'Whitey' for Wolf?'_

I blinked in surprise. _'Yeah, how'd you know?' _Everyone groaned. Then I frowned. _'Supey! What did I say about the name 'Wolf?''_

'_The name was generic and that you didn't like naming things, literally, after what they were but physical features of them…?' _Superboy replied uncertainly. I'd given him this speech about the naming of 'Whitey' in our last mission… or it could've been after. I dunno, I forget when I gave him the speech, but I know I gave it to him.

I nodded in satisfaction. _'Exactly, my young grasshopper,'_

Then, ignoring Superboy's bewildered '_'grasshopper…?''_, I backed to the edge of my cage and ran to the other side vibrating so fast, my vision was blurred around the edges. I experienced the awkward feeling of my body being pieced painlessly in strips, my eyesight flashed gold as I passed through the bars, and then I was on the other side. Not even pausing to recover, I dashed through Supey's cage, grabbing him, and vibrating us both through before he could register what had happened. When we got out Supey blinked his eyes, bewildered. "What… what just happened?" he asked. Then he turned around and threw up.

I winced. "Sorry," I told him, "I guess Kryptonians aren't used to their molecular atoms being distorted and separated so small that they can pass through solid objects." Right on cue, I felt something drip from my nose. "Oh, c'mon!" I yelled, tipping my head so the blood wouldn't drip all over the place. "I thought I was over this!" Robin was laughing from his cage. I whirled upon him and shouted, "Shouldn't you be escaping now?!"

The vine between Supey and my cage flexed upwards and struck out at us. I body slammed Superboy out of the way, and then pointed at the vine that was now curled upwards like a snake. "Bad, Stalky III!" I told it like it was a dog. To make this scene even more animated, the stalk tip shook violently and reared back like a dog shaking its head and walking away from its owner.

"Ah, so Joker was right," a woman's voice said. I looked up in its direction and saw Poison Ivy. She stood above us, another vine, who will be dubbed Stalky IV, next to her, reminding me of a cobra with its tamer. On her face was an amused expression. "You were right," she called up.

A cackle followed that. "I knew I recognized a bird's laugh," Joker said.

"Yeah!" I shouted back pointing, "Well, I always recognize a joker's laugh!"

'_That was lame,'_ Robin deadpanned.

"Shut up! I don't hear you saying anything."

'_That's because- oh yeah, I'm _mute_. Anyway, the guy's a weirdo. I'm running from him while I can.'_

If I knew where Rob was, I would've given him a look of disbelief. _Robin_ thought _the Joker_ was _weird._

…

Um, hello? This is _Robin._ Who is he to say that the _Joker _is weird when he, himself, was weird?

Never mind. How about this: we're all weird. End of story.

Anyway, Stalky IV attacked simultaneously with its bro, Stalky III. I yelped as I started to run and dodge at the same time. It was hard with two giant vines- hey, wait. "Why are they both attacking _me_?" I screamed as the ground behind me exploded.

Despite my vision in a blur because of my speed, I managed to distinguish Poison Ivy shrugging. "I just told them to attack you two. They're the ones that chose to attack you."

I frowned, "What do you mean you _two…_" I stopped, both physically and in my speech. The ground was unaffected by my running (as always) but skid marks were near my feet where I stopped short. I gave a deadpanned look over at Robin's cage- which predictably was now empty despite the cage looking undisturbed. I facepalmed. "Robin," I muttered.

Fact: Stalky III's point was unusually sharp; perfect for stabbing!

It tried to do said action at a lighting fast speed, but Supey came and grabbed it an inch from my face. I smiled weakly at it, despite it not having eyes to see. Then, there was a smashing sound of shattering glass. I turned in the direction of the sound and saw Tempest jumping down, water-bearers lit and ready. As he was falling, red bolts shot out from the platform at him. Ultra-Humanite stepped into view, snarled, and shot several more shots. Blue shields formed from his water-bearers and he held them in front of him as they hit. The force blasted him into the wall with a boom. I winced at the sound, it didn't sound painless.

I was distracted from Tempest's battle as spikes of gold flew at me- which I identified as Wotan's magic. I dodged them and continued running, going straight up the side of the plant. As I was running, I spotted Robin. He winked at me, showed me a kunai tagged with a bomb and THREW IT AT ME! HOLY CRAP! I yelped and sped up, the sound of laughter fading. The explosion finally happened just as I jumped over the ledge of the platform. It was surprising smaller than I'd expected and there were levels. On sticks were circular plates angled in a slight circle. Behind the stalk, on the smaller platform, I saw the skeletal Atomic Skull with yellow beams of electricity shooting from his hat and into conductors. Electricity… The designs on the plant… Atomic Skull was supplying the plant with power and that was what was keeping it healthy. Note to self: if the plan to destroy the plant fails (which it won't, I mean, it's just destroying a plant!), then we just take down the conductor or Atomic Skull.

"Ah! Our special, speedster guest!" Joker cried out, waving his gloved hands in the air. They had white, glowing lines along the fingers. Was that how he was controlling the other plants? We could also destroy the plates so the Injustice League didn't know what they were doing with the plants. "What are you doing here?" Joker suddenly lit up. He rose his arms, wiggling his fingers, and clapped his hands. On one of the circular disks, I saw a group of plants erupt from a skyscraper, effectively destroying it, and on another I saw another group smash together with police cars in between. "Don't tell me: you've come to show me where that birdie went!"

I raised my hands in exasperation. "What is with you and your obsession with Rob?!" I asked the Joker.

He shrugged. "Something about the bird intrigues me…" he replied, totally non-creepily. "I don't know," he continued, twirling in a circle and waving his fingers and arms, in the plates, I saw more plants destroy, well, more things. "Maybe it's his laugh, it had potential." Joke rubbed his chin thoughtfully- several plants wriggled across the ground, creating a mini-earthquake. "I should get Harley to kidnap the kid…"

"Good luck with that," I muttered. If Rob didn't want to be caught, he _wouldn't be_ caught.

Joker's personality did a 180. "What did you say?" he asked coldly and slowly.

Calmly, I said, "Nothing, Mr. Joker, sir, nothing at all," I have a smart mouth.

Joker facepalmed himself, causing me to flinch. Chuckling, he slowly wiped his hand down, revealing his inhumanly wide grin. "I think you're lying," he said. Jackknives appeared in his hands and he swiped at me. I bent backwards, dodging the small blades. He didn't give up, striking lower. I jumped up, used Joker's shoulders as springboards, and flipped over him. I had to get to Atomic Skull.

"HOW DARE YOU!" I heard Joker scream. I guess he doesn't take kindly to being treated like gymnastics equipment. I body slammed Atomic Skull, earning myself a small electric shock. _Aw, man, I should've let Tempest get this guy,_ I groaned mentally, still reeling from the recoil, _He would've at least absorbed the electricity. Wait, was that even electricity? Oh well, it feels like it. _

Just then there was a boom. I darted my head towards the sound. Through the dust, I saw a giant monkey-like being with an oversized brain and a thick vest probably armed with ammunition from the giant gun he was holding. Ultra Humanite had his eyes squeezed in pain. They relaxed and he fell to the floor-ground- whatever. _Speak of the devil, _ I thought as Tempest started running towards me.

Flashing silver distracted me from Tempest's progress, and I instinctively ducked, sliding my right leg out so I was balancing on that heel, the ball of my left foot, and one of my right hand's fingertips. Then, I whipped my right leg 180° under Joker like some hip hop dancer. What do I know about dance though?

Anyway, Joker fell on his back and I ran around his body. Tempest still hadn't made it at the top, but he saw me and yelled, "Whisper! Robin and Artemis have succeeded in their part! You need to move!"

I followed Tempest's finger and looked along Stalky Jr. Only perceivable by my eyes, I noticed arrows, kunai, and shuriken with tiny blinking lights carefully hidden in the leaves and crevices. "Oh dear," I muttered, putting my hand to my mouth in mock astonishment. Then I dove off the platform, rolled on the ground, and landed on my feet to run. I grabbed Superboy and Miss Martian on the way, stumbling at the sudden weight but recovering. Frantically, I searched for an exit. The blast surely wouldn't kill any of us, but it could severely injure Miss M, especially if she stays tangible for Superboy. When I couldn't find an exit in five seconds, I yelled out an apology. My passengers shouted, _"What?!"_ back, both mentally and physically. Admittedly, I could've _made_ an exit, but there was no time. I started vibrating my molecules, upping up the speed further than it'd take for just me. I've manipulated both my molecules and another's before, but never three people. The results could be disastrous if done wrong! It'd be like… being splinched in Harry Potter during apparating.

Again, I repeat: results= disaster.

But then again… was that entirely bad?

Yes, Whisper, yes it is bad. You are not allowed to maim your teammates- despite them being your unwilling teammates- that is forbidden.

For now…

Anyway, I felt the uncomfortable, yet familiar feeling of being spread painlessly apart, my vision was filled with grey briefly, and then I was joined back together. There was a boom that made my ears ring, and the force threw me ahead, causing me to fall and Miss Martian and Supey to roll off me. I perked up, clapped my hands, and shouted, _"Alright! Anyone dead, feeling pain, or missing any body parts?"_ both out loud and mentally. _"If you're dead, blame Arty and Rob for the explosion!"_

'_What do you mean 'is anyone missing body parts?!''_ Artemis asked me, angrily. _'And Tempest's the one that ordered us to destroy the pla-' _I coughed. _'Argh! Fine! 'Stalky Jr! I swear, Whisper, if any of us are missing body parts, you're going to be missing a vital one…'_

She used my name and not a nickname, so I guess she's serious. I put down Miss Martian and Superboy, placed my hands on their shoulders, and said, "My life depends on your report."

Miss Martian smiled nervously (she didn't get Artemis and my exchange) and said, "I'm fine, just," she put her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes in pain, "I feel a little sick. What was that?"

Right on cue, Superboy ran to the bushes. I winced at the sounds. Once he was done, he grabbed me by the collar and said, "Never again." stiffly.

I nodded quickly. "Yessir,"

Supey sighed and turned to Miss Martian. "Speedsters have the ability to manipulate their molecules and even pass through solid objects. That's what he did to us just now, and since we aren't used to our molecules being scrambled-" he directed those last eight words at me "-we feel sick." Then the reality of what I'd said earlier sunk in. "Wait- what _did you mean_ when you asked us about missing body parts?"

As the two glared at me, but it was mostly Superboy because, despite being only about eight months old, four of which actually conscious (current date: October 1, 2010), I believe he had grown quite adept in being annoyed, irate, angered, etc. at me. On the other hand, Miss Martian is still getting used to Earth customs and is too nervous about manners to actually be annoyed at me. I will relish the day when she gets over it.

Anyway, I was about to answer when my vision flashed black and my energy just left me like the water in a toilet when it went _flush_. Gracefully, I fell flat on my back with a thud.

Note the sarcasm.

"Whisper!" Miss Martian yelled, "What's wrong?!"

'_Is there something wrong with Whisper?' _Tempest jumped in immediately.

'_What'd Speedy do this time?'_ Artemis grumbled in barely hidden worry.

I waved them off. _'Don't worry.'_ I said in a tired voice, _'I have superspeed, not superstrength like you Supes.'_

'_Can you get up?' _Tempest asked me.

I laughed. _'Naw, I'm pretty comfortable here.'_

'_Whisper.' _Tempest said sternly.

'_Fine,'_ I grumbled_. _I tried getting up and ultimately failed, falling back without resistance.

Superboy grumbled something and threw me over his shoulder, fireman style. Usually if I was in this situation, I would've screamed, pounded, punched, and even bit said person carrying me (in this case Superboy), totally forgetting about the fact I could've vibrated through the person and caused them major discomfort which would've ended up with me laughing at the person's pain and running away like a maniac. But instead, I found this situation oddly funny. So, I stiffened my body, shouted, _"WHEEEEEE!", _and fell flat on Superboy's back, mumbling, _"I'm tired."_

After a lull in which everyone stared at me (I felt the stares through the mind-link), Artemis finally asked, _'Are you drunk?'_

Waving my hands professionally, I said, _'My dear, Artemis, I have been drunk before, have you?'_ Before she could respond, I said, _'Exactly. No. I am not drunk. Don't plan on it either- OHMYGOD, IT'SAFLYINGGOLDBEAM! IT'SGOINGTOSTABUSTHROUGH-!'_

'_SHUT UP!'_ Artemis shouted at me.

"Let go," Superboy growled. During my shouting fest, I'd tightened my grip on him like a frightened cat. I dropped off him wider than he thought so I completely dropped off him.

Miss Martian contorted her face like she was debating something, bit her lip, and then took a deep breath, only to look at me with a determined face. I gave her a picture of pure innocence (Shut up, Rob, I know you're laughing somewhere) and she flinched. Then she said, "Can you please stop, Whisper?"

Yes! Mission: Give Miss M a Backbone is a success!

I smiled softly at her, and she visibly relaxed. "Sure. I'll act as sane as I can be." (SHUT. UP. ROBIN.)

"Thank you,"

'_Wasn't there a flying, golden beam heading towards you?'_ Robin asked nonchalantly.

_"Holy crap! There was! Run!" _I ran into the forest and up a tree trunk, stopping on a branch. The branch leaned down slightly, barely perceivably. I grinned. "Hey, Rob," Without moving his body, he looked around. I could tell instantly that he wanted to talk in private. "What's up?"

Microsoft Word opened up on his holo-computer glove and he wrote, _No matter how good we are, we can't fight magic. Tempest is good at magic, but he isn't that good._

I winced. "Ooh, rough,"

Robin scowled. _The point is, we might not be able to compete against Wotan. So, I took the liberty of stealing something. _He reached into a pocket and withdrew something.

My eyes widened. "No. Way." In Robin's hands, was the Helmet of Fate. "The League had barriers all around it! And it was in MY Souvenir Room! How'd you get it out?!"

I could tell he was smirking. I scowled. "Right. A ninja never reveals his secrets and all that crap."

_Exactly._ Robin typed, still smirked. Still scowling, I pushed him off the branch. He let out a cackle, not even flinching at the danger. All he did was fluidly bend his knees so his legs were hooked around the branch and hang upside-down. Then he turned serious. _I'm serious though. Tempest is the only one with a decent chance against Wotan because we don't have magic, and he might not be able to stay on par due to his lack of training. Besides him, you're the only one who went inside the helmet._

I cut him off at the sentence, quickly catching on. "You want me to put on the helmet. YOU WANT ME TO PUT ON THE HELMET!" Robin grabbed me by the back of my hoodie before I could run off screaming. He glared at me. _Calm down. _"How do you expect me to calm down when Nabu didn't want to release Tempest in the first place!?" I whisper-screamed, "The only reason why he let Tempest go in the first place is because I smacked reason in his face, you burned reason in his head, Nelson promised to keep the hermit company, and Tempest promised to find him a host!"

Robin gave me an unimpressed look. _This is why I decided to tell you before the time you actually had to put it on._ he typed, _I knew you'd freak. Well, not really _freak.

I knew what he was talking about. There wasn't much that the three of us 'freaked out' nowadays. Man, I sound old. I'm only fifteen! I want to LIVE! YOLO!

The wise words of Drake. Not the 'I want to LIVE!' part but the 'YOLO!'- never mind.

'_Robin! Whisper! Everyone else is here, and we're fighting Count Vertigo, Poison Ivy, and Wotan!'_ Tempest yelled suddenly via mind-link. Robin rolled his eyes, drew his tanto, and made a flashy entrance by splitting Stalky Nth in two as it tried to attack Artemis. Looking at the battle field, I saw Miss Martian and Superboy fighting Count Vertigo. They managed to stay on par with him but weren't doing any damage despite the advantage in numbers because he kept sending waves at them. Tempest was using the swamp water to his advantage and making electric-filled water creatures that screamed electricity as they chased after Wotan. Wotan in turn sent gold lighting, fire bolts, blocking his attacks with shields, and sometimes redirecting them. But, whenever he tried to send a creature back at Tempest, they'd explode. It was scientifically impossible, but it exploded.

Robin was going after Poison Ivy (who was fighting Wolf) after divided a large vine in half. He jumped up onto the cliff and slashed at her, but she rose a barrier of vines and dodged in the time he spent destroying it. Instead of slicing it to pieces, Rob climbed and vaulted over it, leaving a bomb on the barrier. It exploded and Poison Ivy's eyes widened as she realized something. "You!" She hissed, her face contorting in rage. "You're the one who destroyed my baby!"

I ran over to Rob, and leaned against him. "Well," I said, matter-of-factly, "Technically, he didn't destroy just your 'baby' because that was Stalky Jr. and then we had all these Stalky's that we destroyed."

If it was possible, Poison Ivy looked even more irate. "I am going to kill you…" she muttered. Then she repeated it over and over again, her voice getting faster and louder until finally, she screamed, "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Ahh, villains. They never get old.

I left Rob because I knew he could take that b- woman! I said woman. Then I went after Vertigo. The only warning I had was someone screaming –Artemis?- "Watch out!" Something crashed down on my back so I fell flat on my stomach. My left arm was twisted behind me and then twisted _in a way it wasn't made to bend!_ I couldn't help it: I screamed in pain as the pain exploded. "Back off him, you filthy-!" that was finished in multiple harsh swear. Whatever was on me shook as bombs exploded on it. While it was distracted, I vibrated and army crawled away as fast as I could. Shaking, I looked carefully at my mangled arm. Nausea rose but I fought it back down. My forearm was twisted 360° so that the area near my hand looked like it was fine, but it lay lank and near the elbow blood and bone poked free; the black fabric of my hoodie hiding it and twisted. The pain was horrible, cutting through reality and forcing me to look at everything nearly five times just to register it. Why was I always the one to get injured?

I felt something touch my shoulder. "-per? Are you alright? Ultra-Humanite wasn't down and attacked you." It snapped me out of my reverie.

"What?" Even to myself, my voice sounded faint and confused like I was dazed. I think I was. Everything was swimming at this point.

I felt pressure on my wound, but it wasn't the startling pressure. I looked down and saw a dark green, ripped cloth tied over it. When I looked at Artemis in confusion, she said, "Superboy got you a souvenir," I'd never noticed this before, but she was really pretty. Maybe I hadn't noticed it before because we spent all our time making sure our lives were absolute hell to actually look at each other.

"Tell him thanks," I breathed. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a part of me screamed to stop looking at the beautiful archer because we were LOSING! but I didn't.

Something gold was pushed in my hands. Ignoring Artemis' shocked whisper of, "What is _that_ doing here?", Robin forced me to make eye contact. _'Put it on,'_ he ordered.

Dude! One of my arms was nonfunctional! How was I supposed to put it on!? And WHAT WAS IT?! I think Rob saw my inner dilemma because he sighed and gently took it and put it on my head. At least I think that's what he did because everyone faded to black. I didn't fall unconscious though. My vision… just went black. Then it came back, and I was greeted by a very familiar sight of darkness with only a single spotlight shining down from an unknown source.

"Well, well," Kent Nelson said, "I wasn't expecting you back here." Since I was sitting on the floor (Is it a floor?) I gave myself the liberty of banging my head in frustration by falling backwards.

"I didn't try to come here," I grumbled. My thoughts were clear now, probably because I wasn't even in control of my body. In the distance I heard the doubled voice effect of mine and Nabu's saying, "Wotan, you are mine."

Kent bent down and touched my arm. "Hmmm, someone got you good,"

I searched my memory for anything that might've said who hurt me. "Artemis said that Ultra-Humanite wasn't down and he got me." I scowled as I remembered me weak state just merely seconds ago. "I was probably going into shock, and we were losing, so Robin put the helmet on me. Stupid ninja."

The older man laughed. "I haven't the pleasure of meeting Robin, but he sounds nice."

I grinned as well. "He is," Then it fell. "Do you think Nabu will let me leave?"

Kent stood up using his walking stick. "You said that Robin put it on you? Then that means you weren't a willing host. Also, you've won his respect. Unless you outright say to him that you're going to be his willing host, for now he will let you go." I didn't like the sound of 'for now' but I accepted his answer. When I lay back down and closed my eyes, Kent rose an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to see what Nabu's doing?"

I waved a hand in negative. Like background noise, I heard faint booms and shouts: the sounds of the battle occurring outside my mind. But, I didn't look through Nabu's eyes to see what was going on. "Nah, I trust Nabu will deal with the Injustice League. Besides, what good would it do for me?" I looked mournfully at my arm. "I might have to get my arm amputated."

"Yes, that would be a shame," Kent agreed. "Fortunately, Nabu isn't going to stand for that."

That caught my attention. "He can heal?"

"Oh, no," Kent replied, "But he'll… twist it so it's at least normal again. You still will have to get surgery."

"I know," I sighed, "Speedsters can't heal everything,"

A cry of "Children? Children got the best of us?!" cut through the background. I rolled my eyes as Joker started muttering with rising volume, "Inconceivable. Unacceptable! Retrobutionable!" and then, "That last one might not be a word." I let out a laugh. Joker may be a homicide but he's priceless. My laugh earned me a weirder look from Kent though. Then Joker said in a mock imitation of Nabu, "Birdie, you are mine." Then he laughed. "I still want those eyes,"

I scowled. "Nabu," I seethed, "If there's a single hair harmed on Robin's head-"

"It will be dealt with," he interrupted me. The first words he spoke to me this entire time.

"It better be," I muttered.

Kent and I spent the next few minutes listening to the distant echoes of the battle. Thanks to my thought process being faster than the average human's, I was able to decipher what was happening. Poison Ivy and Count Vertigo had teamed up on Miss Martian. Wolf and Superboy were going after Ultra-Humanite. Robin was fighting against Joker. Artemis had decided to shoot arrows from afar, but I could tell she was mostly going after Poison Ivy and Count Vertigo. Of course, Nabu was using my body and fighting Wotan. From the looks of it, we were winning.

_Great, more magic, _I thought as a new, magic-echoed voice shouted, _"Ekirts natoW nwod!"_

"It's over," the distanced voice of Batman announced.

There was a pause, then, "There will be another day," Verty agreed with barely concealed rage.

"Another day?!" Joker's voice took on an insane edge, "There won't be another day, for any of us!" There was booming noises.

"Joker spores!" Batman warned, "Don't breathe it in!"

"Have no fear!" Nabu shouted, "Fate has intervened!"

"That guy needs to get a wider vocabulary list," I mumbled.

Kent laughed. "It grows on you," I didn't doubt him.

Suddenly, I said, "I feel bad for you," Kent raised an eyebrow in question. "I mean…" I waved my arms around. "You spent God knows how long in here. I've only been here twice and already I feel like I'm going insane. But because of that, you're a pretty admirable guy. Tempest told me how you promised Nabu you'd stay with him despite the fact that you wanted to see Inza again. I'd probably leave him and pass on if I was in your position."

He smiled. "Thank you."

I stood up. "Well, I think that I have to go soon if Nabu will let me. The Justice League is here after all. It's over." I looked up. "It was nice seeing you again Nabu."

There was a pause, then, "You're a worthy host. Your arm… It won't require amputation."

I turned back to Kent. "Despite the circumstances, it was nice seeing you again."

"You too, may we never see each other again."

Most would take offence in that, but I got what he meant. The black emptiness flashed white and then I was standing out in the dim lit swamp with the Helmet of Fate in my hands. Before I could access everyone else's condition, I was body slammed into the ground. A small weight sat on my stomach. _'You took too long,'_ Robin said in a deadpan voice.

I waved him off noncommittally. "Eh, whatever," I gave him a look. "You do know I can throw you off. Seriously, dude, you need to gain some more weight! You're too light!"

Robin rolled his eyes, but got off me. Then he gave me a thoughtful look. _'Did Nabu do something with your arm? It looks better. I would've thought it would've needed to get amputated, but not now.'_

I looked at said limb. Instead of it being twisted, it was righted, still mangled, but righted. Then I realized that my thoughts were clear. I grinned. "Thanks, Nabu," I whispered.

I stood up and looked around. Zatara (oh, Zats…), Captain Atom, the Hawk couple (Hawkman and Hawkwoman), Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman (to Tempest's greatest, but hidden, displeasure), Black Canary, Green Lanturn, Captain Marvel, and (finally!) Superman had arrived on the scene. The Hawks, Zats, and GL were securing the Injustice League. Batman though, was taking care of Joker- who was unconscious- personally. He was securing the bonds around the clown. The others were helping the rest of the Team with the wounds and checking if they were okay in general. Tempest caught my eye and walked over to me. I could tell by his gait he was furious.

"What. Was. _That?_" He said coldly.

I looked around for assistance from Robin, but he was gone. I had no doubt that Robin could take Tempest, but still, an irate Tempest was a worthy opponent. I sighed and gathered all my tact. "Hey, Tempest! What's up-?" Tempest's glare could freeze the Earth's core. I froze, the smile still on my face, but a millisecond later, I continued on. "It's Robin's fault."

Tempest sighed and rolled his eyes. "Where is Robin?"

I rose my eyebrows mysteriously. "He wanted to escape your wrath… Mwahahaha…"

Cue facepalm. "You're insane. Nabu could've never let you go!"

I rose an eyebrow. "But he did,"

"You two are impossible." Tempest growled. Then he stomped away. I blinked at the _very_ un-Tempest-like action. What was that about? Tempest _never _acted like that. Robin was the epitome of nonchalance. Tempest was the epitome of leadership and calm. I was the epitome of… I don't know. Insanity? Craziness? Amazing speed-stealth abilities that defy science? Who knows? But, whatever I was, it didn't matter. What did was that something was up with Tempest. Something that seriously affected him. And I wasn't sure I liked it.

…

(OH MY GOD, I DIDN'T YELL AT SUPERMAN! WAAAAIIIIIT, BIG BLUE-!)

(For some reason, he shot me a frightened look and flew away at a speed that would make Flash proud. Hmmm, I wonder…)

* * *

THIRD POV

In the dark of a room, there was a click of something being turned on. Then a voice was heard, obscured slightly by the barely perceivable static saying it was through a piece of technology. "The plan was successful," the voice said, "The Justice League has successfully believed the Injustice League was our 'secret society.' The plants have proved to have potential. The Light is pleased, as shadows still obscure the Light."

There was another click, and through the dark, the receiver of the message grinned.

* * *

**A/N: Finally. An update. Sorry it took so long, it was not my intention to make you guys wait that long. That's also partly why the 2****nd**** half of this chapter is so bad. Especially the fight scene. I was too lazy to type it all out, and Nabu and Kent were so OOC so I apologize again for that. It's also turning crackish with Whisper's POV. **

**I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing though…**

**Review please! **

**-wolfeclipse25**


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